XENO
by LokisonStarchilde
Summary: Nothing stood between Weyland-Yutani and it's goal to control The Hive's Queen, and with new minds in on the project they might have finally found a way. OC protagonist.
1. Power

I'm trying to keep this interesting and realistic at the same time. I only just recently watch the fourth Alien movie, and saw the Newborn(that thing is freaky by the way) and I just wanna say first off that this story is NOTHING like that. And again, I've never read any of the comics, so If my story is at all similar to a pre-existing story that is completely accidental.

I DO NOT OWN ALIENS/XENOMORPHS, PREDATORS, OR WEYLAND-YUTANI.

* * *

><p>Weyland-Yutani, the infamous corporation that founded xenomorph studies and experimentation, was once again at its' peak in existence. Weyland-Yutani spent many years basking in their imperialism, but after the vast failed experiments with Lt. Ripley and The Hive Queen, they'd fallen rather low. Now they had new scientists, and with them, new ideas on how to control the Queen and her children. Heading the staff of scientist currently was Dr. Tobias Fang, a rather narcotic, aged man with dark sunken eyes and a thin frame. He's second in command, and main assistant was a young woman named Dr. Demi Zipporah. Dr. Zipporah was energetic, but not vastly optimistic; her husband had been a marine of Weyland-Yutani and had died several months before, leaving her upon this foreign asteroid. She had a strange love for the xenomorphs, valuing their intelligence she spent many hours trying to read to them and teach them simple studies as if they were her own children. Though the others would call her mad, she thought that the aliens got lonely and enjoyed her reading to them. She wasn't fool enough to think coexistence was a possibility, she knew they were primarily predatorial creatures and trying to live among them was impossible. Dr. Zipporah was in charge of a group that concentrated on the mental study and development of the xenomorphs. They came to a few complications in surgery, considering that the aliens blood was acid and burned through anything, they eventually created a compound alloy that was impervious to the acid. From this rubbery substance they made knives and other surgical supplies to be used in brain dissections. Unlike her fellow scientists, Dr. Zipporah cared very little for the Queen and being able to control The Hive. She didn't see much reason in it; and what would they do if they <strong>could<strong> control an entire race? The whole idea just came from power hungry, narcissistic, ego maniacs; or so she thought. But when the opportunity for a new experiment, and new progress, presented it's self the natural born curiosity in her emerged and just like the other scientists, she wanted to be a part of it. So of course she was excited when her fellow scientist, and best friend, Dr. Tobias Fang told her he had an idea, a plan, to make the Queen more "controllable".

"A human hybrid." He exclaimed, a wide grin stretching his already thin lips.

Demi looked away from the xenomorph behind the glass and up at her friend, eyebrows knitted together in honest confusion.

"What?" she raised herself up from the floor and faced him, "That doesn't even make sense, Tobias. They're born inside humans, even though we've seen other variations, such as dogs and cats. They take on the characteristics of their host, so they're already hybrid-like."

Tobias was waving his hands around, as if shooing a fly, and shaking his head.

"Yes, yes, yes. But I meant a crossbred hybrid." His grin didn't fade even an ounce.

Demi cocked an eyebrow, ushering him to continue.

"If we take an undeveloped fetus from both species; xenomorph and human, and morph them together. Thus giving the Queen a human body." He threw his arms out in a grand display, like his idea was so obvious and simply at the same time. Demi stared at him in awe for a few moments before crossing her arms over her chest and dropping her posture to a more annoyed stance.

"OK. Did you dream this up one drunken night? That's impossible." She said flatly. He simply chuckled.

"And just because you said that, I'm gonna prove you wrong. But I want you to work with me on this. I need volunteers."

She had to admit she was intrigued by his idea, but it was impossible. Wasn't it?

"Volunteers? For what exactly?" she kept her voice sounded uninterested. Tobias began pacing in front of her, a habit he'd always had whenever he began planning something complicated.

"Well, a host, for one. Someone to willingly become impregnated with a xenomorph, and we'll surgically extract it when the time is right. Then we need a human fetus…" He trailed off as he stopped pacing to turn and look at her. She gave him an annoyed look,

"And what? You just intend to ask women to have a fetus for you?" she sounded incredulous. He laughed loudly.

"Perhaps. If for the sake of science! But maybe I won't need to." He grinned at her.

"Alright, listen. You get clearance for this little experiment of yours, get your…volunteers," she suppressed a laugh, "And a well finished plan, **then **I'll decide if I want to be a part of this." She gave him a slight smile and he nodded.

"Very well. I'll see you again soon." And with that he left the room.

Demi let out a sigh, and then returned to the viewing window with her clipboard in hand. Weyland-Yutani had built this facility around a pre-existing Hive, craftily boxing the aliens into their own home with viewing rooms around the entrances. Of course the aliens had tried to break through, but the entire facility was made from variations of the rubber alloy and thus was impervious to the aliens' acid. After a time of continually watching these creatures, Demi came to find that they were observing her in return. She was convinced these aliens were not the barbaric beasts the others believed they were. How could she, when they showed such intelligence all the time. There were currently three Xenomorphs milling about behind the glass in front of her. She wished for nothing more than to know what they were thinking and saying amongst each other. She placed her clipboard upon a computer desk and then slowly put her hand flat against the window. The alien closest to her instantly turned its head toward her and moved closer, it moved its head up and down as if surveying her and continued to do so for quiet sometime. After several minutes Demi sighed and was going to leave the room, when suddenly the alien put its hand up. It moved its hand in a slow circle around her figure, and then placed it against the glass, but not where Demi's hand was. It had placed its hand lower, where her belly was, and then tilted its head as if looking up at her. Demi was frozen in place, from excitement and terror; she just stared at this creature like a deer in the headlights. Now more than ever she wanted to know what it was thinking. The door behind her suddenly slid open as someone came inside and Demi jumped, giving a loud gasp and throwing her hand up to her throat. The other doctor looked flustered and embarrassed for startling Dr. Zipporah and quickly apologized. Demi shook her head,

"No that's alright. I think I've just been in here far too long and I need rest." She tried to keep her voice steady as she said this and then quickly left the observation room.

* * *

><p>Officer Matthew Herman was no special man. He was a Weyland-Yutani employed marine just like any other. Today he felt most particularly "un-special" as he unloaded food crates from the docks for the fifth time that week. He did so with a heavy sigh. He thought he should be glad he wasn't on a battlefield, but he wasn't, he was just bored. When he heard that Weyland-Yutani was building another base around another Xenomorph Hive, he immediately signed on, hoping to get to kill some alien carapace. But to his unfortunate unhappiness, nothing has happened at all and now he's just like the rest of the military personnel on this asteroid, unloading docks. He vaguely thought to send a message to HQ to see if there were any wars going on back home so he could get off this rock. Another carrier ship came into the docks and Officer Herman sighed again. He finished his check list of the load in front of him, and then headed over to the newly docked ship. Men were already removing crates from the back of the ship, and Herman's eyebrows pulled together, those didn't look like food crates.<p>

"What is this?" he asked a worker, while gesturing to the crates with his clipboard. The worker didn't even look up from his own datapad,

"Confidential, sir. They're to be taken to the labs on the east side." He answered. Herman rolled his eyes,

"Right. 'Confidential', my ass." He mumbled, but didn't say anything more as he loaded the odd containers onto a truck.

He had a good idea of what was in the containers, and it was probably best to not know all the details. He oft wondered what sort of things the scientists did here with these disgusting creatures. All he knew to do was shoot them; he couldn't imagine what else you'd want to do with them. He carefully steered the truck across the compound and to the storage cells at the east side, then proceeded to unload the truck into the cell. After this was done, he sat down in the dirt to have a lunch break, watching other people mill about. Human interaction was always an interesting thing to watch, particularly peoples body language and how you could tell exactly what was going on in a conversation just by the stance and gestures of the people involved. Currently there was a large group of people congregated around the announcements board in the courtyard, and from the shocked faces whatever Dr. Tobias had just posted there was rather alarming. This caught Herman's attention, so he packed up what was left of his lunch and drove the truck to the courtyard; though he could have walked he was lazy. He caught sight of a fellow Officer and waved a hand at him,

"What's going on?" Herman asked with a shrug. He thought he saw a spark of fear in the other man's eyes, but wasn't convinced.

"The scientists want lab rats for a new project. They're looking for volunteers." The other man answered. He continued to look uneasy. Herman noted this and asked another question,

"What are they doing with the volunteers?" he made an effort to sound kind.

"It doesn't say…" the younger man was staring at the ground now. Herman stepped closer to him,

"What are you so afraid of?" he honestly wanted to know.

"Well, the others are saying…" he looked behind him suddenly, as if to make sure no one was listening in,

"Shit, you know how things are here. If no one volunteers for whatever this is, they'll just take victims instead." He was whispering now. Herman was taken aback.

"They can't do that! Man, don't listen to the bullshit people say around here." Herman shook his head at the man, but the other still looked terrified.

"The government gets to do whatever they want! And I know what they're doing, and I don't want one of those…things…inside me!" he put his hands over his ears, as if to will some unwanted thing away, and continued,

"Don't ever forget: CREW EXPENDABLE." He exclaimed, and with that, walked away.

Herman watched him go before he turned back to the crowd, many people were still arguing in shock about the post. Herman pushed past them to the bulletin board and read the post for himself.

_VOLUNTEERS WANTED_

_For new scientific advancement_

_Details will be explained in person_

_DR. TOBIAS FANG, DIRECTOR-IN-CHARGE_

Herman 'hmphed' to himself, it was certainly a suspicious announcement. A spark of excitement stirred in him. He'd like to know the details of this "scientific advancement". After all, why not? It was probably the most excitement he'd get on this rock. He turned on his heels and headed for the entrance to the lab wings.

The science labs were a maze of numbered corridors, but after what could have been days, Herman stood outside Dr. Tobias Fang's office. The door was locked. He briefly thought to come back later, but the post had only just been put up. With a sigh, he knocked. Almost instantly the door flew open, making Herman jump. He had to look up at the man before him, a thin, frail, almost sickly looking man with greasy white hair and large sunken eyes. Herman recalled a time when he sat around a camp fire with other marines, making fun of the civilians and scientists working here. They had particular amusement talking about Dr. Fang, calling him a crazy snake man for how thin and serpentine he was, all the while being inhumanly energetic with a wide toothy grin. The man before him now still fit that description.

"Can I help you Officer?" The tall man cocked an eyebrow and didn't fail to smile. Herman now thought he looked like a snake playing with its food, right before devouring it. He cleared his throat nervously.

"Um. Yes. I saw your post. You need volunteers?" He made sure to keep eye contact. The Dr. looked him up and down, again looking especially predatorial.

"Yes. But what would make you want to volunteer?" he quipped.

"Well…boredom, to be completely honest sir." Herman answered with a sly grin.

The Dr. only hummed in approval before stepping back to allow Herman inside his office. The room was about the size of a large closet; a desk attached to the right side wall with file cabinets and computer modules all along the left side. While most people would put things up on the walls in an effort to personalize the room, Tobias' office was stark bare. The only thing that caught Herman's eye was a framed photo upon the desk. It was small, but Herman could make out a man that looked like Dr. Tobias standing shoulder-to-shoulder with a smaller, dark haired man. The smaller man was clad in a military style uniform, no expression upon his face, but an odd mustache under his nose. Herman stared at the aged black and white photo in concentrated confusion; he thought he recognized that smaller man, perhaps from a history book or something. The Dr. sat down at his desk and turned to face the only other chair in the room, then gestured for Herman to sit.

"Boredom, you say? Well then I do hope to interest you." He was still grinning again. It began to annoy Herman, making him want to slap that stupid look off the older man's face. But he focused on the Dr.'s words instead,

"What exactly needs to be done?" he meant to keep these questions short and to the point, not wanting to beat around any bushes. If he was to carry an alien around for these freaks to study then he wanted to know now.

"Eager to begin?" the Dr. chuckled, "Or are you scared?"

"Just wanna know what you plan to do with me, sir." His poker face didn't fade.

"Of course, of course. But something tells me you already know." The Dr. swiveled in his chair to face his computer, his back now to Herman, before continuing.

"I want you to be a host for a Xenomorph." He finally finished.

"That's what I thought." Herman mumbled, "And what guarantee is there that I'll live?"

"Oh we've done this plenty of times before. You'll be fine." The Dr. answered nonchalantly, as if they were talking about a common dentist visit.

"If so, then why not use one of your own staff? Instead of low ranking military personal?" Herman wasn't gonna let the matter dropped that easily. The Dr. must have caught on to what Herman was insinuating, because there was a long pause before he answered.

"We'll need all able hands available, of course." He said, still facing away from Herman.

"Of course." Herman quietly mimicked, remembering what his fellow soldier had said to him earlier that day, "crew expendable". The Dr. suddenly turned back around, with some papers in hand,

"SO, are you going to go through with it?" he was as cheery as ever, smile returning to his pale face. Herman glanced at the papers, then back at Tobias.

"Yeah." Was his only response.

"Excellent!" Tobias placed the papers on the desk before Herman,

"Now if you would just sign these. Then I'll see you a weeks' time, you'll report to lab room 237." The Dr. indicated the place to be signed; Herman placed his signature then stood to leave.

He would have said more, but the Dr. was already typing away at his computer, so Herman just left. As he made his way slowly through the bright halls, he thought about his life before he joined Weyland-Yutani. He had all intention of returning home, to Earth, someday because back on that far away planet he had a wife and daughter. Even though he spoke to them almost every day, it wasn't the same as seeing them in person. Now he had to think of what they would tell his family if he died from this procedure. He was sure the Dr. was telling the truth when he said they did it all the time, but that didn't mean he trusted them. Scientists defiantly viewed military men as lesser beings, stupid, worthless, expendable. And on the other hand he had to wonder, what did they want the infant alien for? What were their intentions for it after it's removed from Herman's chest? His gut churned with an uneasy feeling, an anxiety, that this was a bad idea. But perhaps curiosity got the best of him. That same curiosity reminded him of the picture he'd seen upon the Doctors desk. With a more determined stride, he turned a corner and headed for the library. The first thing he looked for were Doctor Tobias's records; anything to tell Herman more about him. Unfortunately every keyword he typed into the search only brought up a "NO INFORMATION EXISTS" message. Well wasn't that convenient? And suspicious. How could there be no records or information about a man who's been working here most of his life? Giving up on that search, he looked through photos of past wars back on earth. After a while a photo of that same small, dark haired man came up. Underneath the photo was only a name; Adölf Hitler. He gasped. He was right, he did recognize that man. But, why was there a picture of Hitler and a man who could have been Dr. Tobias' twin? He stored this information away in his mind for future reference.

* * *

><p>Demi snapped her gloves on.<p>

"Ok. How we doing?" she asked the group of surgeons gathered around the center operating table.

"Ready to begin ma'am." One of them answered.

Demi only nodded and stepped up to the table. Lying upon the cold metal surface was a Xenomorph, fully grown but slight of size, being only a little bigger than a wolf. It was the very same Xenomorph that she had had that odd encounter with, she choose it just for that reason, feeling that she was connected to it in some way. It was sedated to the point of being immobile, but still conscious and breathing. Demi gently stroked its cavernous head,

"Shhh." She leaned close, her lips almost touching its face,

"You'll be just fine." Her voice was soft and quiet, oddly full of love. The creature only hissed in response.

Demi smiled despite the looks the others were now giving her. She picked up a surgical saw and without further hesitation began cutting a rectangle out of the aliens' crown. Bright green acid dripped onto the floor, but since everything had been laced in their new rubber substance, it didn't burn through. Every few minutes she'd pause to look at the creature and make sure it was still conscious. After an exhausting eight hours of surgery, the creature was stitched up and moved to a recovery room where it would heal in solitary confinement. A hazardous materials unit came in to safely clean up the acid blood and then everything was sterilized. Demi was done for the day, so she made her way to her private quarters. This same brain augmentation had been done to three other Xenomorphs before, and each had died. So after a lot of changes to the procedure, she hoped to get a new result. Her goal was to make it possible for the aliens to be able to communicate with humans. Obviously they lacked the lips and tongue of humans, so vocal speech was impossible. But telepathy could prove more promising. They already knew that the Hive communicated through a sort of telepathy; the Queen and all the workers were connected and could hear each other even if they were on different planets. Demi was hoping to increase that capability, making it stretch to human minds. So with a little luck, and with the right augmentations and technological implants, they'll have a successful telepathic Xenomorph.

* * *

><p>Doctor Tobias Fang finished typing his email and sent it to HQ, making sure to forward it Doctor Demi Zipporah. Now that he had a volunteer host, he wanted to move forward with the project. The egg had showed up earlier that day and was waiting in cryo containment. He spent many hours inspecting it, making sure it was the correct one, the egg that would birth the Queen. Weyland-Yutani had taken it upon themselves to make sure no Queens lived without their permission, they wanted only one alive and it was to be under their control. Until that was possible, no Queens existed. He thought of what he might do if Demi rejected his offer. Of course there were many ways to get around it, and just taking what he needed of her. The list of things he wasn't willing to do anymore had grown terrifyingly short, it's funny the things you'll do in the name of science. He also had to consider just how much of this project he's willing to involve Demi in. Regardless of their friendship, Tobias will not let her stop him, if she'll have to be removed from the facility then so be it.<p>

* * *

><p>Demi made it to her room before the nausea over took her. She stuck her face in the trash can and vomited. She had grown increasingly ill these past few weeks, and continually wondered what was causing it. She deeply hoped it wasn't a chemical contamination, in fear that they would remove her from the facility. She made herself some tea, before climbing into bed. She didn't even taste the tea, or remove any of her clothes, before she was swept under unconsciousness.<p>

* * *

><p>To say Officer Matthew Herman had lost sleep over the week would be an understatement. As the week's end drew closer he slept less and less every night, but refused to admit to himself that it was fear keeping him awake. That itching of anxiety had grown ever more persistent and he continued to will it away, refusing to be deterred. He had signed on to this and would never back down. So when that fateful day arrived he was already awake much earlier than needed; he showered, dressed, and began the long walk to Lab 237. The closer he got, the slower he walked, fighting a panic attack the whole time. How would they do it? Just let the thing latch on to his face? How will they know the right time to remove the infant? In the logical part of his mind he knew that the doctors had answers to all these questions, but fear usually won against logic. Would he be called a coward for backing out now? Would Dr. Tobias be angry? He brought a hand up to wipe sweat from his forehead, then took a slow deep breathe, willing himself to calm down. No, he had to trust them. He'd be fine. Herman finally came to the door, it was open, and he took a minute to watch the scientists and doctors' rush about making last minute preparations. Dr. Tobias was removing the egg from its cryo-container and placing it on a table. Then he looked up and smiled, that same carnivorous grin, at Herman. He stepped over to an operating table and waved Herman inside,<p>

"Come, come. Right here." He patted the table. Herman swallowed, then stepped inside and sat upon the table. Tobias put a hand on his shoulder and looked directly at him,

"We will handle everything. You just relax. Pretend you're going to sleep, if you can."

Herman laughed nervously at the irony in that statement. He couldn't find it in him to speak, so he just laid down. A female doctor leaned over him,

"It's not going to hurt, you won't feel a thing." She smiled softly, and then stepped back.

Next thing he saw was Tobias and three others holding that eight-legged, sickly yellow, creature above him. Its' tail writhed around before finding leverage on his throat and wrapping like a death vice. Herman panicked in that second, letting out a startled gasp. But he had no moment to argue the matter, as eight thin fingers gripped his skull and everything went black. He would recall the moment he felt something slimy forced down his throat for the rest of his life, but quickly after, the tingle of paralysis began to creep into his body. He heard Tobias speaking, but he sounded far away,

"When you wake up, this will be over and you'll be safe in your bed."

Herman thought he tried to nod, but wasn't sure if he was successful. A sudden wash of calm overtook him, causing all his limbs to go slack and relaxed. He felt warm, and peaceful, and very, very tired. So he took the Doctor's advice, and went to sleep, forgetting where he was and what was going on.


	2. Why Me?

Sorry this took so long, I was trying to make it a lot longer than the first chapter.

* * *

><p>Demi felt no better when she awoke. If anything, she felt worse. She tried to eat, but only ended up vomiting more and more. She decided to go to Tobias and ask for a diagnosis.<p>

He wasn't in his office. Then she remembered the email she had read a week ago that said he had gotten a volunteer host, and today was the day he'd be doing the procedure. She turned around and headed for the lab. When she got there they were already cleaning everything up. Doctors had a young man on a stretcher and were removing him from the room. Tobias was standing at a table gazing into a small tube of clear fluid, which held a Xenomorph fetus inside. It was barely developed, the size of her fist, all curled around itself. Despite its small size she could defiantly make out the crest that was growing from its head, the crest of a Queen. She was momentarily shocked that he had actually done it. He had predicted which egg would have the Queen, and now he had it. Her stomach lurched and she remembered why she was here. She walked into the room and to Tobias' side. He looked at her and grinned like a proud, new parent.

"Isn't she beautiful?" He mused, looking back at the fetus.

"Yes. I'm actually surprised you were able to get her on the first try." She suddenly winced, putting her hand on her stomach. He glanced at her curiously.

"Tobias, I don't feel well. I think I might have chemical contamination or something. Can you run a test?" she asked.

"Of course. Come, sit." He gently ushered her to the table and she sat down. He went to a counter and got a glass of water then brought it to her.

"Here. Drink this first. Relax." He pushed the cup into her hand. "And tell me your symptoms."

She took a long drink before answering,

"Dizziness, vomiting, exhaustion, headache, etc." she said, and took another drink. He nodded then waved at another doctor to come over. He leaned into the other man's ear and whispered something. Then smiled back at Demi,

"Don't worry, we'll keep this to ourselves so you don't get in trouble or anything." He was gently rubbing her back with one hand, soothing her. She smiled, feeling better already.

"Thank you so much. I knew it was a good idea to come to you." She laughed softly, "Leave it to me to get contamina…"

She suddenly stopped as the world spun violently. She tried to stand up and Tobias stepped away from her. She looked at the glass in her hand as her vision became tunnels,

"Wha…what did you…?" She collapsed onto the floor. Tobias' face dropped all emotions. He leaned down and looked at her like she was a cockroach he was about to stomp. He straightened back up and glanced at the other doctors,

"Get her on the table." He barked at them, "And make sure she doesn't wake up till we're done."

A chorus of "Yes sir." was all they said.

* * *

><p>Herman woke up with a slight headache, but other than that, felt completely normal. He rubbed his head for a minute, and wondered if it had been a dream. He looked down at his chest, and the long vertical incision that was there confirmed that it hadn't all been a dream. He groaned. But on the bright side, he was alive; maybe he could trust the scientists more than he thought. He took a shower and got ready for the day, then made his way to the cafeteria. Upon entering he saw his fellow soldiers sitting at the usual spot, so before getting any food, he went to greet them. They all looked very shocked to see him.<p>

"Matt!" His best friend Erik was the first one up, giving him a rough hug,

"What the hell man? Where've you been?" Erik asked, rather loudly. Herman just smiled.

"I got sick. Why? How long's it been?" He realized he didn't know what day it was, or how long he'd been absent. They all looked even more shocked, and confused. Erik looked especially concerned,

"Dude, no one's seen you for almost a week. You wanna tell us what really happened?" He demanded.

Herman thought it probably wasn't a good idea to lie any further. He sighed heavily, and then pulled up his t-shirt to show them the scar that was forming. Erik jumped away, and they all stared in silent horror, mouths agape. Erik slowly pointed at him,

"What…what is that?" he asked. Herman rolled his eyes, exasperated,

"You know what it is." He said flatly. Erik was slowly shaking his head as Herman put his shirt down.

"Are you kidding me?" Erik shouted, throwing his arms out, "Why? Why would you…?" He was gesturing toward Herman again. Herman shrugged,

"Boredom. Now ya gonna let me eat, or should I go somewhere else?" He didn't bother to try and be nice; he wanted to drop this conversation.

"Nah, come on, sit." Erik was quiet now. Herman just nodded, and then sat next to Erik. He then saw that the entire cafeteria had been watching him. Great, he thought, now he'd never get peace.

* * *

><p>A stabbing pain throughout his skull is what woke him up. His senses slowly came back to life as he picked himself up off the ice cold floor. He knew he was alone without even looking, but he was still inside a box. This box was different, it was cut off from the Hive, separate, and there were bright lights focused upon him. He hissed at them. Why was he here alone? He recalled the humans drugging him, and then restraining him upon an elevated surface. That female had been there, the one carrying an offspring; she had spoken to him before…<p>

He brought a hand to his head, ghosting it over a rectangular scar that was now there. She had cut into his head. But why? He got unto his feet and stepped over to the window, placing both hands upon it he searched the whole room for anyone else. And there she was, that same female. She was standing at the other side of the room, her back to him, moving her fingers across an illuminated glass box. He had seen such things a lot around the humans; they called it "technology". He hissed at her, to get her attention,

"_What did you do to me, human?" _ He thought if only he could actually speak to her.

He saw her flinch and felt satisfied in startling her. She glanced around the room, as if looking for something unseen. At that moment he recalled a gesture he had seen humans make whenever they felt particularly annoyed at something stupid, and he wished he had eyes so he could roll them at her.

"_I am behind you. Have you forgotten me in this box?" _ He wondered.

She suddenly turned around, a look of shocked horror upon her face, and stared right at him.

"_About time I got results from you." _ He again wished he could "roll eyes" at her. If it was at all possible, her eyes grew wider.

"Wha…what…?" she whispered. He began snarling again.

"_Is this human dysfunctional? What is wrong with her?" _ She is not acting like her usual self.

She gasped aloud, covered her mouth with her hand, and stepped up to the window. They were now separated by only a foot of plastic. She was grinning at him.

"That was you, wasn't it?" she asked, the usual softness coming back into her voice. He just watched her.

"_What was me? I've done nothing."_

She gasped again, this time with excitement instead of shock. Then suddenly she ran out of the room and began shouting in the halls. Seconds later, a large group of humans was running into the room to stare at him, some he recognized. One in particular was a very tall, thin male, who spent a lot of time around the pregnant female. From what he understood about humans, the two of them were "friends", which apparently was some sort of relationship designation. The tall male was grinning so wide it looked like his face might rip apart. The pregnant female came to the window again, ushering the others to step back, and then smiling at him sweetly.

"Can you do that again?" she asked softly. He cocked his head to one side.

"_What is she speaking of? I did nothing._"

The group began whispering among themselves. The woman turned to look at them, then back at him.

"You don't realize, do you? I can hear your thoughts." Her voice was full of excitement. He stepped away from her, in confusion.

"_You…are hearing my mind?"_

She nodded at him, "Yes! Our experiments finally worked!" she was practically jumping up and down.

"_Is that what you did in my head?" _ He placed a hand upon his skull again.

"Yes, yes. With technology, I've made you telepathic." The crowd behind her suddenly started talking all at once, but the tall man silenced them and stepped forward.

"You're talking to it?" he sounded skeptical, but curious. She only grinned up at him.

"YES! He understands me, and I hear his thoughts. Can't you?" She looked a little let down for some reason.

"Perhaps it is only focusing on you." The tall man said. He turned to look at the tall male.

"_Perhaps I do not care to let __**you**__ hear me." _He thought, angrily. He had never liked this man. _  
><em>

The man's eyes widened in surprise,

"OH. Oh my." He suddenly exclaimed. And the woman's grin grew again,

"You heard him?" she squeaked. The man only nodded, and then turned to her.

"SO, what will you call him?" he asked.

The woman watched him from behind the window for a while, wonder and pride swirling in her deep blue eyes, then she answered in a voice that any woman used when speaking about her newborn child,

"Archimedes." And the crowd cheered. He cocked his head at her again,

"_What is this obsession with naming things, which your species has?" _ He asked her. She laughed.

"When there is something you care a lot about, you give it a name." she answered.

"_And what is a "Archimedes"?"_

"He was a man of our species, who lived a long time ago. He had a great and wonderful mind. Just like you." She was still smiling at him.

He thought over her words a minute, he felt that maybe he should be insulted that she would name him after one of them, but oddly enough he liked it. He repeated the name in his head for a while, getting used to the sound, it was satisfying. He bowed his head at her, an act of kindness and acceptance. She must have understood, because she smiled even wider and returned the gesture. The tall man turned back to the woman now,

"I must return to my previous work. But this is most wonderful progress. Congratulations, Demi." he said before leaving the room, a few others followed after him.

"_Demi? That is your name?_"

She turned to face him again, and nodded.

"_And who is the one that cares for you? That gave you your name?" _ He wondered. She smiled again.

"My parents." She said simply.

"_Parents? Like a mother? Like __**our**__ mother?"_

"Yes. Exactly. The ones who give birth to you are usually your parents."

"_Do you find it ironic that your species not only carries your own offspring, but ours as well?" _ He made a noise that sounded like a snicker. She only laughed softly.

"Yes. I suppose so." She said thoughtfully, still just gazing at him, with utter joy on her face.

He thought it strange that she wasn't offended by him. He curled up upon the floor and just looked up at her, thinking about this new development, this new knowledge. He wondered of all the things he could now learn and do with this new ability. Perhaps even finally escape. Then something occurred to him,

"_What causes you to care for me?" _ He honestly wondered.

Her eyebrows pulled together in confusion as she thought about his question.

"Well, I created you, in a matter of speaking. You wouldn't have this new ability if not for me." She said, rather pride fully.

He couldn't argue with that fact, he didn't think there was any other way he would have developed this "telepathy" on his own. So he just nodded, and then laid his head upon his arms on the ground. Demi turned around as the other people in the room began assaulting her with questions, wanting to know if they could speak with him and study him. She refused them all, saying that Archimedes was her project and she would be the only one to handle him. He snorted at her, not appreciating that she spoke about him like he was a pet. But she didn't hear him. She was busy making the other humans leave the room, claiming that Archimedes needed rest now. He knew this to be a lie, he wasn't tired at all. He assumed she wanted to be left alone with him, in peace and quiet. She moved a chair in front of the window, then sat down and watched him. He picked his head up to look at her better, he felt something about her had changed, something inside…

"_What have you done to the offspring?"_ He suddenly asked. She glanced around in confusion, then back at him,

"What offspring?" She inquired. He was taken aback, she didn't know.

"_Yours, of course. The one you are carrying now."_ He stood up again and pointed one long finger at her belly. She looked down, then back up at him. Her mouth had fallen open in a look of continued confusion,

"Are…are you saying I'm pregnant? How would you know that?" She now stood up again.

"_I can…see…it, inside you. Just like how we see our offspring when they are inside your species." _He explained. All the color had drained from her face. She suddenly ran from the room, leaving Archimedes alone and confused.

* * *

><p>Demi stormed into Tobias' lab, he and a group of other scientists were leaning over a table, working on something,<p>

"What did you do!" She screamed, causing all of them to jump and spin around to face her. Tobias only smiled,

"What do you mean?" he asked calmly. She got right in his face,

"Why did I pass out the other day? Why didn't you tell me I'm pregnant?" She continued to shout. His expression didn't change,

"How do you that you are?" He inquired.

"Archimedes told me." She almost growled in her rage. He now looked surprised,

"Archi…? The animal? How would **IT** know?" There was a laugh in his voice.

"He said his kind can see inside our bodies, it's how they know when we are carrying one of their offspring. Why didn't you tell me?" She demanded again. He smiled sweetly,

"I thought that it was the cause of your sickness, but I wasn't going to say anything till a blood test proved positive." He stated coolly. She seemed to calm down a bit, but wasn't convinced,

"Why did I pass out? What did you give me?" Tobias was ushering her to sit down,

"You were dehydrated and overworked, dear. You just fainted right before my eyes. I didn't do anything to you." He was soothing her again. She nodded. She had no reason to think he was lying, Tobias was the kindest man she'd ever known, and they'd been friends a long time now. She took a deep breathe,

"You're right. I'm sorry for shouting. I don't know what came over me." She was rubbing her temples.

"You were surprised, that's all. It's perfectly normal." He cooed to her, still rubbing her back. After a few minutes, Demi looked up at him,

"How is she?" She asked. Tobias' raised an eyebrow,

"How is who, dear?" He asked.

"The Queen. You still have her here don't you?" She said, looking around for it.

"Oh. No, I moved her into another room the other day." He sounded rather nonchalant, "But she's not important right now, dear, you are. We should get you something to eat, and then maybe you should rest." He was slowly pushing her toward the door.

"Ok. Yeah, good idea. Thanks again." She said, and they made their way to the cafeteria.

* * *

><p>Archimedes was spending time exploring his new ability. Stretching it out to see just how far a distance he could reach and still hear the humans' minds. When he found a mind that was particularly interesting, he delved deeper into it, seeing just how much of these minds were open to him. He was glad to find that all of them were completely open. He shifted through thoughts, memories, wishes, and fears. And knowledge. He learned a great many new things. He was so focused on invading these minds, that he didn't see Dr. Tobias enter the room till he was in front of the window, pounding it with his fist. Archimedes flinched, but rose to his feet and stood before the tall man. He now knew the man's name by reading it from his mind; he also knew that this man was not who he pretended to be. Tobias was pointing at him,<p>

"Listen real good you little shit." He was snarling at Archimedes, "Your little stunt almost ruined everything for me! I don't care what you know; you'd just better learn to keep it to yourself! Or so help me, I will fry you alive and eat your brains in a breakfast omelet. Am I clear?" The anger rolling off this man startled Archimedes, but also greatly intrigued him.

_What makes you think that I am intimidated by you?" _He chimed; the idea of this man eating him at all was a rather unwelcome thing, but also a very odd threat. Tobias laughed wickedly,

"The fact that you're in a box all by yourself, and all I have to do is flick a switch and that little room goes up in flames." He pointed to his right, where a computer panel with a large red button was. Archimedes had seen it before, but didn't know what it was for. He hissed at Tobias. Tobias only laughed again.

"And know this as well," He continued, "As soon as I'm finished with Demi, I'll be finished with you too, and then I'm getting rid of you." He barked.

Archimedes dragged his claws down the window, scratching it and making a horrible sound.

"_And you had better hope I never get out."_ He hissed. Tobias cackled as he left the room.

* * *

><p>Archimedes did not see Demi again for quite some time. In fact, the only person he saw at all was the man that brought him his daily meal of animal carcass. A few times he had tried to communicate with the man, out of loneliness and boredom, but each time the man ran away startled. When she finally did return, she didn't look at him even once. She checked all the computers and went about entering data, but showed no intention of acknowledging him. He noticed her now slightly rounded belly, but didn't pay any more attention to it.<p>

"_Demi?"_ He finally called out, making sure to sound soft and concerned.

Humans were highly emotional creatures, he had learned, and they responded better to kindness and sympathy. He saw her turn her head just a bit toward him, but then looked away again. He tried a different approach,

"_How have I angered you?" _He asked. She turned to face him now, she looked exhausted.

"I'm not angry. I just think it best if I don't speak to you for now." She also **sounded** exhausted. What had she been doing all this time that has worn her down so much? He didn't want to accept her answer,

"_Isn't being able to speak to me what you wanted? And now you reject me?" _He sounded hurt. She sighed.

"I'm beginning to think we weren't able to communicate with each other for a reason." She was barely audible, but he had heard her and began snarling ferociously at her,

"_So you experimented on and killed my family for nothing? And what, you will simply kill me now? Because I'm no longer of use?" _

She winced as his shout echoed throughout her mind, and suddenly she felt terrible for saying such a thing. It also dawned on her that he was showing great emotion, this is something she hadn't expected. She didn't think the Xenomorphs felt emotions like humans did, but she was obviously wrong. She wondered if maybe this was something only Archimedes had now, because he'd been exposed to so many human minds and feelings. She suddenly had a thought, and stepped up to the window,

"If I come in there, will you promise not to harm me?" She asked him.

He couldn't imagine why she'd want to come in this horrid box with him, but he knew he wouldn't harm her. Not because he cared for her well-being, of course, but because he knew what was growing inside her now and he would protect it. He slowly nodded at her,

"_I won't hurt you." _He said sincerely.

She smiled and moved to the left where a door was, she began typing numbers into a keypad along the side. He was slightly surprised that she believed him so easily. Next he heard a hissing sound and the door slid up into the ceiling. He didn't move, but he knew he could have darted over her head and out the door in just the few seconds that the door had been open. The door sealed behind her, and she stood just two feet from him. He could feel her nerves on end, and hear her heart beating quickly in her chest. She was afraid, but she hid it well, with a bright smile on her face. He was impressed by that. She put an arm out, hand and fingers reaching for him, but she didn't move closer. She was waiting for him. He watched her for a while longer. Then he lowered his head, stepped nearer to her, and nudged her palm with the front of his skull. All her fear seemed to just vanish after that, and she began stroking the sides of his head with both hands. It was oddly nice, he thought, and then he wondered what his family would think of this. He was certain none of his kind has ever interacted with a human in such a way before. She made herself comfortable sitting on the floor, her back against the wall, and his head in her lap. She told him all about her life growing up. She had been born on a colony and had never actually seen or been to Earth. Her father had been a xenogeologist and loved studying foreign rocks. Her mother stayed home and took care of her younger brother, who had been born sickly. He unfortunately had never recovered and eventually died young. Her father died in a work related accident not long after. Now her mother lived with a friend on their home colony. Archimedes had listened silently to all this, till she stopped talking. He listened as her breathing evened out and her hands slowly stopped moving. He carefully sat up to look at her, if he didn't know better he'd thought she was dead, but he knew that humans slept just like his kind did. So, he just laid his head back down and fell asleep as well.

* * *

><p>Archimedes was woken up by the buzzing of several different bodies throughout the room. They were human, and they were terrified. As consciousness returned to him he recalled Demi falling asleep in his prison box. And she was still there, though she was now curled up on the floor instead propped against the wall like she had been. His tail had somehow ended up around her waist and she was hugging it gently. He looked to the window where people were watching them. Some scientists were running back and forth, while different uniformed humans were standing just outside the window with weapons pointed at him. He recognized the guns and began snarling at them all. He tightened his tail around her, pulling her closer to him. The humans raised their weapons and began shouting. Dr. Tobias suddenly entered the room, throwing his hands up,<p>

"NO! Stop!" He began pushing the armed men away, "Stop it. Leave him be."

Archimedes watched him very closely. The door to his cell slid open and Tobias stepped inside, two soldiers right behind him. He was smiling, putting on his false act perfectly. Demi began to wake up as Archimedes pulled her farther away from Tobias.

"It's quite alright, Archimedes." Tobias sounded as if he were speaking to a child, soft and sweet. Demi was slowly getting to her feet, rubbing her eyes. She reached out and petted Archimedes then turned to face Tobias.

"Oh. I'm so sorry." She mumbled, her voice still heavy with sleep, "I must have passed out in here. I didn't mean to."

Tobias reached for her, "That's ok, dear. Let's just get you out of here now." He gently grabbed her wrist and began pulling her to the door.

In barely the blink of an eye, Archimedes was across the room and behind Tobias. He flung his tail out and knocked the armed men onto their backs. Tobias spun around, terror all over his face. Archimedes made sure that only Tobias heard him when he spoke,

"_I know what you've done." _He snarled, _"And what you're planning. It will not succeed." _ He was standing between Tobias and the door.

Tobias had put his hand up to stop the men from firing on any of them, without taking his eyes off Archimedes,

"We shall see about that." Was all he said, and they glared at each other for a while longer, but Archimedes eventually moved out of the way.

He couldn't do anything more, in fear for Demi's life.

* * *

><p>Demi didn't try to go back to sleep. Instead she took a long hot shower. Afterward, she was standing in her kitchenette making a cup of tea when a sudden horrible pain shot through her spine. She dropped the cup and doubled over, crying out in pain. She couldn't stay on her feet and ended up curled up on the floor, clutching her small rounded belly. She gritted her teeth and waited till the pain faded. Unfortunately, this was not the first time she felt this pain. As her belly grew, so did the pain; it had started just in her belly then spread to her chest and legs, now it stabbed throughout most her body. It was agonizing, and her internal instincts told her something was very, very wrong. Yet every time Tobias had done an ultrasound he said everything looked completely normal. So she couldn't imagine why this was happening. The months passed in much the same fashion. She spent most her time with Archimedes. At one point she actually sealed her lab door shut and let him out of his little prison. He ran up the ceiling and around her a few times, making her dizzy, but she just laughed. She trusted him completely, and would let him follow her around the facility if she could, she was just afraid someone would shoot him by accident. She taught him how to operate the computers, in case he'd ever need to, and even told him all of her passwords and codes to get into the more secluded areas. He had laughed to himself at that particular moment, because he knew if need any security codes he would have just pulled them from her mind.<p>

She also taught him all sorts of human history and culture, and introduced him to her favorite singer:

"She lived on Earth a very long time ago. She was born on an island country that we called Iceland." She was pointing at a three-dimensional display globe of Earth,

"Her name was Björk. She was a rather small woman, barely four feet tall," She put her hand out to demonstrate what four feet was from the floor up, "But her loud voice made up for that!" She laughed.

Several different pictures came up of a very pale, dark haired woman with almond-shaped eyes and thin lips. The music playing throughout the room had an interesting sound to it; ambient, hypnotizing, accompanied by high pitched and defiantly loud female vocals. He thought it didn't sound like the sort of thing he would have imagined Demi listening to; perhaps this spoke of some bottled up emotions she held. They sat there listening to the music for a while longer before another bout of pain wracked Demi's body. Archimedes was startled when she suddenly fell upon the floor and writhed, but he didn't know how to react or what he should do. With a sad realization, he knew what was hurting her and that she would most likely die, and there was nothing he could do to stop it. Her body was rejecting the infant growing inside her; it knew that the fetus was **wrong** and shouldn't be there. He was impressed by the human body's natural ability to protect its' self. He wanted to help her, but there would be no point in it, so he waited till she stopped crying in pain and then helped her back unto her feet.

"_I am sorry."_ His voice was barely a whisper. She just smiled, like always,

"For what? It's not your fault." She stroked his crown.

"_But I am helpless to your pain."_ She could hear the frown in his voice and shook her head,

"Don't worry about it. Everything's fine." She had been repeating that lie to herself a whole lot lately, but her mind was constantly screaming at her that nothing was "fine".


	3. Breathe

OK, I would LOVE to go on forever with the relationship between Demi and Archimedes. BUT, I need to move along in this story. Soooo, NEW SHIT IS HAPPENING!

I apologize that this is FREAKIN' SHORT! But I just wanted to upload SOMETHING, because I haven't posted anything in awhile. SO sorry, but not really. ENJOY!

I still DON'T OWN Aliens/Predators.

* * *

><p>When that fateful day came along, Demi was doing her usual exercises with the Xenomorphs in her lab. Archimedes was at her side using his telepathy to help Demi communicate with his brothers, when she suddenly dropped her materials and doubled over slightly. The others behind the glass were alarmed, but Archimedes told them it was nothing to worry about. He reached out with his mind and called Tobias, it was a bit of a strain because he was quite a distance away, but he let the Doctor know that Demi was ready to have the child. Then he assured Demi that she would be fine. She just smiled, like always, as if nothing could ever bother or frighten her. But her angel face could no longer effect Archimedes; over the months he has spent with her he'd established a specific mental bond to her, he now knew exactly where she was and what she was seeing or feeling at all times. So she couldn't hide anything from him, not even the pain that he knew she was feeling now. It didn't take long at all for Tobias and his troupé of medical staff to come running through the door, that same sick smile plastered to the tall man's face. Tobias wasn't shocked at all to see Archimedes out of his cage, but the others were and all let out gasps and whispers while staying close to the door. Archimedes reluctantly put himself back into his little box and watched as Demi was ushered from the room and out of his sight. He kept his mind locked on her, but still couldn't stop the sinking feeling within him.<p>

Demi made it slowly to the medical bay, with Tobias holding her up. She was glad to have made the distance before her contractions kept her from standing any longer. Regardless of her weight, Tobias easily lifted her onto the hospital bed. A group of nurses then striped her of her opposing clothes and gave her a shot of painkiller. From there it was an excruciating labor that felt like it would never end, and each minute she felt more and more of her energy draining away. Finally the female doctor tending her gave a shout to Tobias, and he was there in a heartbeat to retrieve the small child from the doctor's hands. Again his smile was splitting his face, eyes alight with a madness Demi had never seen before, but then she thought she was imagining it. She suddenly felt very tired.

Tobias was holding a god in his hands, and he knew it well. The first thing that caught his attention were the dark blue orbs that watched him, eyes just like its' human mothers', studying him. The second thing Tobias noticed was that the child hadn't made a sound, not a single cry. It just watched his every move. He then looked at its physical appearance; for the most part it had the body of a human male, with six black nubs growing on its' back along a black, protruding spine, the base of that spine continued into a tail. It had the beginnings of a small crest framing its face and that made Tobias smile again, but what caused him to frown were the creatures' hands and feet. Its legs were worse off, looking very deformed; the feet had claws and elongated haunches like the Aliens' but were twisted and mangled. The hands were much the same, with the digits twisted around each other. Tobias would not be surprised if the child was never be able to walk or make use of its' hands, but that was unimportant to him. Besides, if it couldn't walk, then it couldn't run away either. A sudden loud splashing sound brought him back to reality, and he realized the doctor woman had been yelling at him. A glance at the floor told him what the sound had been, blood was running off the bed onto the floor, and was covering most the doctors. He looked at Demi's face; if not for the rise and fall of her chest he would have thought she was dead. He step over to her and raised the child so that she might see it.

"Look at it Demi. Look what you helped me create." He was practically singing with joy.

She slowly pulled her eyes open to look at the baby. She made a strangled moan and attempted to lift her hand, to reach for the child. She couldn't move, and it was taking everything in her to keep breathing. Her skin was grey and sunken, lips blue.

"SIR! If we don't DO something she's gonna DIE!" The female doctor continued to yell.

They had instructions to not do anything unless directly told by Tobias, that's why they hadn't attempted to stop Demi's hemorrhaging. Tobias stepped away from Demi as her eyes fell closed again. He took the baby to the sink and gently washed him off while addressing the doctor,

"Do nothing." He said softly, "I don't need her anymore. And it's better this way."

All the others in the room looked horrified, but none argued. Demi made one more strangled sound before she breathed out and stopped moving. And at that second the baby in Tobias' hands went very rigid, wrapping its' tail around his wrist, and let out a horrid, agonized scream that shattered any glass nearby and caused them all to double over, covering their ears.

* * *

><p>Archimedes had grown more and more anxious as he felt Demi getting weaker. He had paced back and forth the entire time. Waiting for it to be over, waiting to see her smiling face again. But something wasn't right. He still felt her mind, but not her body, as if she had become disconnected from her body or her body had gone completely numb. Then she was suddenly gone. He halted in his steps and began frantically searching for her, anything of her, a trace. Not only was she gone, but the bond he had made with her was just severed. His mind told him what that meant, but his heart refused to believe it. Then the Hive began to stir, the voices of his brothers becoming louder. A scream suddenly echoed throughout the facility, and he involuntarily began to cower and tremble. It was the most powerful sound he'd heard in a long time; the sound of Mother. The Hive knew it too, and they all began howling, a simultaneous voice that vibrated the land. Archimedes reluctantly accepted Demi's death, but knew it wasn't in vain, for now his family had its' Mother again. He would forever remember his best friend, and the sacrifice she made.<p>

* * *

><p>Matthew Herman had been in the lounge, playing a very old game called Guitar Hero with his best friend, when a shrieking wail was heard. They turned off the TV and looked at each other; the other men in the room got up from where they had been resting and came to stand by Matt and Erik.<p>

"What was that?" Erik whispered. Fear tingled in Herman's chest as he shook his head,

"I don't know." He whispered in response.

No one moved as they all strained to hear; waiting for tell-tale signs that the Aliens had finally broken their chains and were now killing people. One of the other men looked at Herman,

"That…" he was shaking, "That didn't sound….human." He said and others nodded.

Herman had to agree, whatever it was that screamed, it wasn't the voice of a human. It had sounded…demonic. A strange vibration began in the floor. They all looked down at their feet. Erik gestured at the floor,

"WHAT is THAT?" His voice was edging on hysteria. No one had an answer.

Herman stepped out into the hall, and the others cautiously followed. They found more people in the hall, with the same looks of confusion and fear on their faces. Some looked at Herman for an answer, and he shrugged at them, not knowing what to say. The strange humming slowly stopped, and all was silent again. A scientist came up to Herman,

"Did you guys hear that scream too?"

They all nodded. The scientist nodded in recognition, "Someone needs to find Tobias." Was all he said before quickly walking around the corner.


	4. The Boy Who Can't Talk

AWWW! I'm so glad to hear that so many of you liked Demi! I based her after myself, so she was special to me too. But yes, she had to die, sorry guys. It's all part of the drama! I must warn you now that if you REALLY don't like sad/depressing stories, then STOP READING this. It'll get better eventually, but it always gets worse before it gets better. ;D Also I'm sorry it took so long to update, just got a lot going on lately.

* * *

><p>Tobias had placed the infant into a sort of incubator tube and had to leave it be for a while as he ran about the facility calming the commotion. The child's scream had apparently been heard through the entire first floor as well as most of the basement and second floors. And rumors about Demi's death were already flying everywhere, but Tobias had filed his report on it and refused any further discussion about the matter. Perhaps there was a part of his heart that regretted killing her, or perhaps that was his imagination. Regardless, it wasn't important, all that mattered now was raising the child and keeping it under his control. He designated the boy XENO, obviously just an abbreviated form of the alien species' scientific name, but it was also Latin meaning "alien" and he felt it was completely appropriate. He was currently seated behind his desk finishing his report of the child's birth and his plans for it now, he considered corrective surgery to try and fix the boy's hands and feet, but wondered if it was really worth the time. All he needed was to have the boy speak to and control the Hive into doing his bidding. He realized a problem with the fact that the Queen had been born with a <em>male<em>, human body; it couldn't lay eggs. Perhaps that was some ironic punishment for everything Tobias had done to get this child, but maybe he could find a way around it. There was a knock at the door,

"Yes?" He said with a bite of annoyance, and the door opened slightly. A young brunette woman poked her head in; there was a look of shock and concern on her face,

"Sir, you might want to see this." She said. Tobias hadn't even looked up from his computer,

"See what?" He still held a tone, as if her very existence was offending him.

"The…um…the boy, sir…" she stuttered. He looked at her now, a glint of anger in his eyes,

"What have you to it?" He accused, rising from his seat. She put her hands up in defense, looking honestly terrified of Tobias,

"No one has done anything! It's…grown." She explained in a rushed panic. Tobias didn't reply as he stormed down the hall, the woman jogging to keep up behind him. He threw the door to his lab open with fury. Gathered around the tank were many other scientists and doctors, whispering amongst each other and pointing at the child behind the glass. Tobias easily shoved them out of his way and stood before the cylinder. His mouth actually dropped open in surprise. The child before him now was that of a two year old; silky black hair cascading to its' soft round shoulders, the mangled fingers were straighter, looking more normal, and his legs had filled out. This creature had been born only six hours ago, but had aged two whole years. Tobias placed his hand against the glass and looked at the boy, awe-struck. The boy's eyes suddenly flew open, startling midnight blue focusing upon Tobias's hand first then flicking to his face; many of the others had gasped and flinched away.

"Hello there." Tobias cooed with a sweet smile on his face. The boy didn't react, only watched. There seemed to be a contained hunger in those eyes, like he wanted something desperately but didn't know how to get it. There was also a profound understanding shining through, as if he knew far more than you could ever imagine. Tobias turned back to the brunette,

"Keep watch on him. If he changes any further, let me know." He glanced back at the boy, "And if he ever speaks…" He looked back at her, "Record _everything_." He said this last part with zeal and excitement, then he left the room. The woman physically forced herself to look up at the boy, she was shaking; she gasped, covering her mouth with her hand. Those same blue eyes now stared, unblinking, at her, as if he understood that Tobias had relinquished responsibility to her. She squealed in terror and ran away from the child.

* * *

><p>Herman was in a rather foul mood. He had been going around asking about the days' previous disturbance, but everyone he spoke to told him it was confidential or "not to worry about it". So he decided to go straight to Doctor Tobias. He easily found the man's office again, and gently knocked on the door, but instead of any response from the other side, the door gently swung open.<p>

"Doctor…?" he peered inside to find the office void of life. He sighed, typical. He was about to turn and leave when that photo upon the desktop caught his attention yet again. He glanced around to make sure he was alone before dashing over to the desk to grab the photo. He easily removed the panel in the back and looked at the rear of the photo, written in faded ink was a simple caption:

_Me and the F__ü__hrer _

_Earth date: 1943 A.D._

Herman gaped at the writing. What? How was this even possible? He turned the photo around to look at the front. It most definitely looked like Tobias, and if it wasn't then the ancestral resemblance was uncanny. He heard footsteps in the corridor, so he quickly replaced the back of the photo and put it where it had been, then proceeded to leave the room. It was only a small brunette woman passing by, but Herman recognized her as one of Tobias's lackeys, so he followed her. Enough years of marine training made it easy for him to be silent as he trailed behind this woman. She took an abrupt turn into a science lab and the double-hinged door swung closed behind her. Herman waited for a split second then gently pushed the door open to look inside. The woman was going back and forth along a panel of computers imputing data; nothing that seemed interesting. Herman glanced around the room for anything further and his eyes widened at the sight of a child suspended in a cylinder of clear fluid. The first thing that caught his eye was the tail, pitch black and spiny, a Xenomorph tail; as his eyes traveled upward he saw all the similarities this boy had with the aliens. Herman almost screamed out loud when he looked at the boys' face only to see two startling blue eyes staring right back at him, Herman's hand caught his throat and he tried to calm his breathing least the woman hear him. The boy cocked his head to one side, studying Herman. Herman stared back; what the hell is he? Where did he come from? Why is he staring at me? Herman decided on something a little unorthodox and waved at the boy giving him a small smile. The boy suddenly moved, uncurling himself and pressing his hands to the glass, Herman watched the boys' face twitch for a few seconds before the small lips gently curled up in a return smile. Huh, Herman thought, I think I just taught him how to smile. The woman gasped as she looked at the boy and rushed over to start writing things down on a clipboard attached to the front of the tank. She watched the boy for a minute before she followed his gaze and turned to see Herman crouched by the door. She gave Herman a look. Herman's mouth opened and closed like a fish before he took a breath and stood up,

"Uh…I was…looking for Dr. Tobias…?" he tried, scratching the back of his neck. The woman relaxed,

"I don't know where he is." She sighed in obvious exhaustion. Herman slowly stepped over to stand next to her, he nodded toward the boy,

"So, what…or who…is this?" he asked. The woman turned back to look at the boy,

"Xeno." She said simply, "Tobias's greatest piece of work."

"Is he actually…human? Or what?" Herman continued. Xeno was looking back and forth between them. She nodded,

"Yeah. Half human. Half alien." She raised her eyebrows at Herman, "I'm not sure if I'm actually supposed to be telling you this." Herman put his hands up in defense,

"No worries. I won't speak a word. In fact, I'll get out of here now. Thanks anyways." He told her and she nodded once before he left the room. Xeno, he thought as he headed outside for some fresh-artificial air. He suddenly shivered as the image of that boy staring at him came back to his mind. It felt like he was…reading my mind…or looking into my soul, he decided and shivered again, shaking his head.

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><p>Archimedes was startled out of his sleep by the image of two dark blue eyes staring at him.<p>

"_Mother." _He thought. She wanted something of him, but wasn't sure how to explain it. She was new to this universe and knew nothing of it. He would of course help her. He was alone in his room, just as he had been every day since Demi's death. Today it would end. He patiently waited till the man with his food came in, sometime in the afternoon; it was time to try a new trick. As the man opened a small hatch on the floor to slide the meat under, Archimedes invaded his mind and searched for a link to the man's motor functions. He found it and seized it, the man's entire body froze in place and the man gasped in shock. Archimedes laughed,

"_You are going to let me out."_ He cooed softly into the man's mind. He felt the human's terror and his urge to scream, but with Archimedes in control the human was helpless. He moved the man like a puppet, slowly over to the doors' wall panel, and looking through the man's eyes saw that you had to enter a four-digit code to unlock the prison. With a sigh Archimedes came to find that this man had no knowledge of the code. Archimedes released the human and he sprinted from the room almost on all fours. Of course now he would go and tell someone and that would probably be the end of Archimedes' escape attempts. He felt the presence of Mother in his mind, urging him to come to her. He growled in frustration, he needed to get out of this damn box. Mother would have to wait, for there was nothing he could do.

* * *

><p>He had no concept of time, but he knew he had slept seventy-three times, and each time he woke he was bigger than before. The creatures on the other side of his container had watched him constantly, and the one in charge apparently decided it was time to let him out. Good, he thought, for he had grown too large for this liquid filled vial. The liquid slowly vanished from around him and his chest expanded in a sudden intake of air, he was breathing for the first time since his birth. He waited and watched. The invisible wall holding him there vanished as well and the tall creature in charge reached for him. He was gently lifted from his spot and place upon the cold floor. He shivered, instantly regretting his desire to be free of the warm liquid he was in moments ago. He hadn't felt cold till now, and he decided it wasn't pleasant. The tall creature's mouth was moving, smiling, making sounds at him,<p>

"Can you stand up?" he heard the sounds, but did not understand the significance. Instead he looked for pictures, images inside the creatures mind, to tell him what he needed to know. English, speaking, a function of the vocal muscles, verbal communication; he understood. Standing? To support ones' self upon their own legs. He glanced down at his "legs". They were curled up underneath him, limp and still slightly numb. He focused on these muscles and watched his clawed toes twitch in response. The tall creature, NO, the "human", was extending a hand toward him in a gesture of offering help. He slowly moved his own hand to place it in this human's larger hand. There was a great contrast between the two limbs, his own being black and sleek, the human's was pale and soft. The human gently pulled him up to stand on his legs and gave him support when he fell a couple times. He was finally able to stand still, but his weak legs shook and shivered and made it impossible to move forward, to walk. He was continually assisted and encouraged by the tall man at his side and eventually he could walk on his own. After this task was completed, he was dressed in a crisp white uniform; it covered him neck-to-toe and bore the Weyland-Yutani logo on his left bicep. The tall man, Tobias, turned him around gently to look at a panel of glass, on this glass was a…boy? Yes, a boy, a human boy, he was small compared to the other humans standing around, with very pale skin deeply contrasted by his abyss black hair, sleek black hands and legs, and innocent midnight blue eyes. The boy also had a long, black, spiny tail. Wait…his face bunched up in confusion, he watched the tail as it curled on the floor in front of the boy in the glass then he glanced down to see his tail in front of him on the floor, he looked back at the glass with a look of realization. Tobias laughed softly,

"Yes, that's you." He said as he pointed at the boy in the glass. The boy cocked his head to one side and watched in fascination as the boy in the glass did the same thing.

"Your name is Xeno. Do you understand?" Tobias was saying. Xeno blinked at himself a couple times, and then he nodded. I am Xeno, he thought to himself, that is my designation to be recognized by.

"Good." Tobias smiled and ran a hand through Xeno's silky black hair. Tobias then stood up to his full height,

"Come." He ordered and waved a hand to show that Xeno was to follow him. Xeno complied but was still wobbly on his new found legs, he stumbled and tripped many times but only fell down once. Tobias led him outside and he gaped at all the new sights, sounds, and smells. He was fascinated to find that this place was crawling with humans, they skittered about like ants, everywhere. His bare feet touched icy cold dirt and rocks, and he frowned at the cold feeling. His new clothes had provided him with warmth, but his alien haunches couldn't wear shoes so he had to deal with it. He looked up into the black sky to find a great invisible dome arcing over the entire facility, made of the same sort of material as his invisible tube he had been in. He learned from the humans that the dome held in "air", a substance required for breathing that did not exist in the dead space. He also now knew that the compound was on an asteroid that orbited a moon that belonged to a dead planet not far away. He looked to his left and sure enough saw a dark grey shattered mass floating in the distance and to his right a great grey and blue sphere suspended in the horizon. Tobias was giving him a tour of the entire compound, pointing at each building and describing what could be done there. Xeno stopped a few times to watch people as they performed different tasks, some men were unloading trucks into a storage house, others were sitting around eating and talking, and a few were sparring. He watched the two marines that were wrestling each other, playful punching and kicking and tackling. One was taller than the other and he punched the shorter man square in the nose sending him toppling to the ground. They both just laughed and the taller man helped his friend back unto his feet. Xeno was fidgeting excitedly; he looked at Tobias with a grin then looked back at the men. Tobias leaned to speak closer to Xeno's face,

"Would you like to try?" He asked pointing at the men as two others got up to start sparring. Xeno nodded and made some sort of excited squeak. Tobias gently ushered him over to group of marines,

"Excuse gentlemen, would one of you be kind enough to spar with this child?" Tobias gestured to Xeno. Xeno's eyes were wide with anticipation. The men had joined looks of confusion and disgust at the sight of Xeno. One stepped forward,

"No offense Doc, but what the hell is he?" the man pointed at Xeno's deformed legs. Tobias put on his predatory grin,

"He is royalty among insects, and you will do well to remember that." He hissed, "Now one of you, fight him." He ordered. The man who had spoken out shrugged,

"I'd hate to hurt him if he's that important." He said. Tobias laughed without humor,

"You won't." he countered and stepped back a couple feet. The other marines did the same, leaving a wide circle around the man and Xeno. The man cracked his knuckles and dropped into a fighting stance putting his fists up. Xeno crouched slightly and bared his teeth, showing a gleaming set of fangs. Not even Tobias was prepared for what happened next; in the blink of an eye the man made a slight move toward Xeno and Xeno was suddenly behind the man's legs, Xeno tore into the man's left calf with his teeth while crushing his right knee with his hand, thus taking away the man's ability to walk. Xeno then reappeared in front of the man and smiled softly at him, the man was moaning in pain but he calmed down when he saw Xeno's soft face and everyone thought the fight was over. The man's face contorted in pain suddenly and he screamed as Xeno's razor spiked tail came bursting through the man's chest from behind. A spray of warm, red blood hit Xeno's face and chest and several people screamed in shock. Xeno laughed and it sounded like silver bells, he dropped the man to the ground and smiled proudly at Tobias,

"I win?" he asked, his face was glowing with excitement as he awaited his praising, like a dog waiting to told it was a "good boy". Tobias was so shocked he had no response, he stared at the boy for several minutes, and Xeno's face slowly fell to a look of sad worry. He looked down at the bleeding man in confusion, then he leaned down and gently nudged the man. He looked back at Tobias for an explanation, but Tobias just looked sad now. Xeno tried to pick the man up,

"Up now." He said, "I win. Fight over." His voice was like a baby, laced with innocence, "You want to try again?" he spoke slowly, pronouncing each word deliberately since speaking was still new to him. The man just slumped to ground, Xeno began to panic,

"Get up!" he raised his voice just barely as he got angry at this man for continuing to lie on the ground. Tobias was by his side now,

"Xeno…" he placed a soft hand upon Xeno's shoulder and spoke quietly, "He can't get up. He's dead. You've killed him." He explained. Xeno's thoughts raced as he searched the many minds around him for a picture to better understand this "dead". Death, he found, is to never return, a mortality that all things have. Xeno has taken a life. Xeno's face twisted in anguish and he began to cry,

"I not mean to!" he cried aloud, still trying to shake the man back to life, "I sorry! I thought it was a game!" he fell unto his knees and cried over the man's body. Tobias tried to pull him to his feet,

"These things happen. It's not your fault, you didn't understand." He said, "Besides, all creatures die eventually." His voice made it obvious that he didn't care at all for the dead marine, and probably didn't even know the man's name. Xeno sniffled, but stopped crying and got to his feet. Tobias ushered him away from the crowd and toward the cafeteria,

"Don't let it bother you, Xeno. In our line of work you will see many more men die." He said. Xeno quickly forgot the incident as Tobias showed him how to get food from the cafeteria, he hurried about sniffing everything like an anxious hound, then filled up a tray with only the things he thought smelled good. Tobias had pulled out a datapad from his lab coat and was making many notes about Xeno's performance and now his rather large appetite. Xeno had scarfed down three lunch trays worth of food in less than ten minutes. Tobias intended to take Xeno back to the lab after this to begin physical and mental testing. Xeno had the body of a seven year old human boy, but the strength and capabilities of a young Xenomorph, and the innocence of a two year old. But he learned remarkably fast, and came to understand more than he should, this made Tobias assume that the boy was telepathic and he wanted to run tests to prove it. The excitement of it all was making Tobias giddy with anticipation. To have such a wonderful little pet, he thought to himself, oh how the next couple of years are going to be fun. He was now smiling wickedly as he watched Xeno eating. An idea occurred to him and he opened a file on his datapad, it held all the information of every marine on the asteroid, he wanted to find the best hand-to-hand combatant and employ him to train Xeno. He ran a search and the first name to come up was one he was already familiar with: Herman, Matthew. Well, Tobias thought, that's a little ironic but if he's the best we've got then he'll do. He sent an email to Herman's personal address asking for Herman to come see him first thing in the morning. Xeno was licking his face like a satisfied wolf and looking at Tobias while he finished typing. Tobias smiled at Xeno,

"Finished?" he asked and Xeno nodded, "Good. We have more to do today." He rose to his feet and Xeno followed. Xeno was acutely aware of the whispers and comments going on around him as he left the cafeteria with Tobias, he wasn't sure why people were saying such things about him but he would find out. They returned to the lab and Xeno spent the next couple of hours with many wires and recording devices glued to his bare skin. Tobias and a group of his scientists ran several different scans and tests on Xeno's body then proceeded to ask him a million questions about how he was feeling and if he was in pain or not. Next came a variety of physical exams, to record Xeno's strength, endurance, speed, flexibility, and other capabilities. By the time they were almost finished Xeno was lying upon the cold floor panting loudly, he didn't even have the energy to sit up, but Tobias was yelling at him,

"Get up, boy!" came the harsh, barking voice, a perfect betrayal of the sweet, soft man that Xeno had known earlier, "We are not finished here! Now GET UP!" he kicked Xeno in the ribs and Xeno yelped. He forced himself up with shaking arms and legs and turned to face Tobias, awaiting instructions. An itching started in the back of his mind, a presence, a voice…a power. It whispered like willow leaves blown across soft ground, barely there, he strained to hear its words but they faded away and were lost. He frowned. One of the doctors had argued Tobias out of any further tests and reluctantly he sent Xeno to bed, one of the women were appointed as an escort to show Xeno to his room. She didn't speak to Xeno as they walked the white halls, the click of Xeno's talons hitting the floor was the only noise. When they came to a door in the personal quarters she simply unlocked it and gestured for Xeno to go inside then she walked away. Xeno found a single bed and bathroom in this small space that he would now own. He easily slipped out of his sweat soaked uniform and into a warm shower. He didn't bother to put the clothes back on afterward, instead he wrapped the soft sheets around himself and settled unto the bed. He groaned in annoyance at the soft surface of the mattress, he tossed and turned for a while before giving up and crawling unto the floor. He smiled in victory as he huddled into a dark corner and fell asleep instantly.


	5. What Archimedes Knows

Gosh I'm so flattered by my readers. 3 Just a little sidenote to one reader named Sasha Naruto: I **WILL** be bringing in Predators, just not yet. And I honestly don't know much about the gender specifics of the Predators, but I know very well how they uphold honor, especially with children and other innocent beings. So don't worry, I think you'll love what's going to happen. *smirk smirk*

* * *

><p>Herman awoke with a slight hangover and a loud grumble at his computer while it beeped at him. He rolled over and glared at the machine, but he knew the beeping meant he had a message and it was probably important. So he slowly slid out of bed, placing his bare feet upon the cold floor and rubbing his eyes. A steaming cup of fresh coffee was produced by the ever-aware convenience station that substituted a kitchen in his small one room quarters. Herman drank it down with no sugar or milk then went to peer at the computer screen. With a single press of a button the unread message popped into view and he read it slowly,<p>

_Dear Mr. Herman,_

_I have a job for you and I think you'll enjoy it. Please come see me first thing in the morning._

_Thank you,_

_Dr. Tobias Fang_

Huh, Herman thought, what could he want of me now? Herman absently ran his fingers over the ugly scar that ran vertically across his chest while finishing the rest of his coffee. He then glanced at the clock and decided it was late enough to go now. At least it's something to do, he told himself, and took a five minute shower before heading to Tobias's office. He came to the now familiar door and knocked once,

"Come in." came the reply, so Herman opened the door to stand in front of the desk,

"You wanted to see me, sir?" he stood at attention, simply out of habit. Tobias looked up at him in delight,

"Matt! Why yes, I did." He got out of his seat and gently guided Herman from the office, "Have you met Xeno?" he asked as they walked down the hall.

"Well, I think I saw him in his tank…" Herman offered, not sure how to respond. Tobias laughed,

"He has grown since then." He said and pushed the lab doors open to usher Herman inside. Sitting atop one of the operating tables was a young boy, he had a book in his hands and was squinting at the words as he tried to say them out loud, long tail gently gliding over the cold tiled floor. WOAH, Herman thought, that can't possibly be the same kid I saw just a few months ago! The boy looked up at them and smiled. Those startling blue eyes caught Herman's own less impressive blue eyes and Herman realized with a shiver that that was the same boy. Xeno hopped off the table and came to offer his hand to Herman, Herman looked at the black hand for a second before accepting the handshake,

"I am nice to meet you!" Xeno exclaimed. Herman's face scrunched up in confusion and Tobias laughed loudly. Xeno looked embarrassed.

"No no, dear boy. You say 'I am Xeno and it is nice to meet you'." Tobias explained and Xeno made a determined expression, nodding in understanding. Tobias smiled at Herman, "The art of speech still eludes him, but he is getting better." Herman chuckled in amusement.

"So is that what you need me for? To teach him?" Herman guessed. Tobias nodded once,

"To teach him yes, but not to speak. I want you to teach him how to fight." Tobias said this with vigor and a fist pump, "My files tell me that you're the best hand-to-hand fighter we have. That is why I picked you." He explained. Herman was suddenly very interested and nodded in approval,

"Alright!" he said with excitement, "I can do that. Definitely sounds like fun." Tobias held up a finger,

"I'll warn you now, he's as strong as any Xenomorph and even faster than most. Take it slow. Xeno hasn't completely gripped the concept of death and the fact that he can seriously hurt people." He finished and Herman was nodding,

"Ok. Has he had any training yet?" he asked.

"No. He attempted to spar with a marine the other day and accidentally killed him." Tobias said and Herman looked at him in alarm, "He thought it was just a game." Tobias added.

"I see." Herman was looking Xeno up and down, assessing his physical traits, "So when do you want me to start?"

"Now would be fine. You can take him outside to the training rings and teach him whatever you think he can do." Tobias said.

"Alright." Herman stood in front of Xeno, "Let's go!" he barked rather loudly and Xeno flinched in alarm, not sure what to do. Herman stood at attention and gave Xeno an expectant look, Xeno caught on quick and mimicked Herman's posture as best he could. Herman gave him a smile,

"Good. Now get outside!" he ordered and Xeno scurried for the door. Tobias had a satisfied look on his face and Herman winked playfully at the Doctor as he left the room. When they stepped outside Xeno stopped walking and looked to Herman for new instructions. Herman nodded for Xeno to follow,

"This way!" he said and led them around the building to a large dirt field that was divided up by painted white lines. There were several other men jogging, lifting weights, and sparing. Xeno frowned as many of the marines stopped to stare at him and he heard their whispering again. Freak, monster, murderer; these and many other names Xeno had heard more and more of since the day he'd killed that man. But one name in particular made his skin crawl and he didn't know why, it was just a word but he didn't understand the full significance of it yet. Alien, they said, and when they did Xeno saw flashes of memories in their minds. Memories of fighting, of dying and watching others die, of monsters; black as the abyssal seas of space, as fast as lighting and quieter than flower petals landing on water, with no eyes, just teeth and talons…and a tail. A tail like Xeno's own, and when he looked at it he wondered how he had come to have it. Herman had guided them to a rectangle box painted on the ground, he had Xeno stand at one end and himself at the other.

"Ok, so I'm going to teach you martial combat. First thing, let's test your swing. Are you left or right handed?" he asked Xeno and Xeno just blinked at him. He cleared his throat, "Which hand do you write with?" he tried. Xeno held up both his hands. Herman sighed,

"Ok…ambidextrous then." He mumbled to himself then smiled at Xeno, "Then let's see you make a fist." He held up his own fist as an example. Xeno stared at his left hand for a minute before slowly curling the fingers into his palm and holding it up for Herman's inspection. Herman came over to scrutinize the boys' hand, and nodded in approval.

"Ok." He took a fighting stance and demonstrated a few punches, "Now you try." He said and watched as Xeno attempted to mimic the punches. "Not bad. You learn quick. Now try punching a target. Come here." He beckoned for Xeno to follow him over to the punching bags and practice targets. He pointed to one punching bag, "Give it your best shot." He said. Xeno gave the punching bag a serious gaze then shot his fist out with remarkable speed and all Herman saw was sand flying everywhere. He coughed and waved the sand dust from his face, when the air was finally clear he saw the now empty punching bag about ten feet away from them. He coughed a couple more times,

"Well," he croaked, "That's a pretty good swing ya got there." He laughed and patted Xeno on the shoulder. Xeno beamed in delight and Herman watched the boys' tail swing back and forth just like an excited dog. He could almost imagine the boy sitting on all fours with his tongue hanging out to one side of his mouth, eyes twinkling, and tail wagging. He laughed at the image.

"What we need to work on is your strength control." He began explaining, "You're powerful, but there's no reason for you to use all that power at one time." He stepped over to another punching bag, "Watch me closely." He instructed and Xeno nodded then proceeded to just stare at Herman with utter interest. Herman couldn't help laughing again. This kid takes everything so literal, he thought. Herman gave the bag a punch hard enough to make it move just a bit, he then held a finger up in a gesture for Xeno to wait, when the bag stopped moving Herman punched it again this time with all the strength he could muster and the bag began swinging violently back and forth. He turned to Xeno,

"See the difference? Do you understand?" he asked, Xeno was nodding again and he stepped over to the bag to try again. When he hit it this time the bag just swayed back and forth, and Herman grinned proudly.

"Nice job! Now fight me." He beckoned for Xeno to come at him. Xeno was almost too eager to attack Herman and Herman saw that animal ferocity coming out. Xeno was actually baring his fangs and growling like a beast. Herman gave him a good punch right in the nose just to see what he would do, but totally didn't expect the reaction he got. Xeno looked stunned for a second before he began growling again and he leaped head first into Herman. He pinned Herman to the ground and went to sink his teeth into the soft, delicate throat but Herman's hand got Xeno's neck and pushed him back. The next thing Herman saw was that dagger tipped tail coming up over Xeno's shoulder at pointing right at his face, he threw his other hand up in a panic,

"WAIT! Wait! Xeno, STOP!" he shouted hysterically. Xeno froze, his aggressive demeanor vanished instantly and he just looked confused. Herman was panting in terror, his hand still on Xeno's throat, holding him back. He gave Xeno a light shove,

"Off!" he ordered and Xeno jumped off of him. Herman sat up and just took a few deep breaths.

"OK." He said, "That's not what I wanted you to do…" he was rubbing his temples. "New rules;" he said and pointed at Xeno, "Rule number one, NO TAIL." He gave Xeno a stern look, Xeno's face looked just like a kicked puppy but he nodded, "Rule Two, NO TEETH, or biting of any kind." He waited for Xeno to nod again, "Good. If I come up with more rules, I'll let ya know." He picked himself up off the ground and dusted his pants free of dirt. "Let's try that again. This time I want you to use JUST what I've shown you." He ordered and held up his fists as if to remind Xeno. Xeno nodded once more and held his fists up as well.

"Slowly." Herman instructed, "Watch my feet, watch my movements, and_ predict_ my movements." He was saying as they circled each other, "Good." He approved. "Remember your control. We aren't trying to really hurt each other, it's just practice." Herman moved forward suddenly and punched Xeno in the stomach. Xeno yelped and stumbled backward but didn't fall, he held a look of anger and confusion. Herman chuckled, "Well don't just let me hit you! Try to block my fists." He said. He swung again and this time Xeno caught his hand in mid-air, Herman gave a look of approval right before Xeno's boney, black fist connected with his face. Herman laughed out loud and wiped blood from his nose, then went for Xeno again. They continued for a while, and slowly Herman showed him how to include his legs and feet with good footing and powerful kicks. Despite the deformed look of Xeno's alien haunches they were actually quite functional and strong. At one point Herman had dived for Xeno's legs attempting to take him down, in an instinct reaction Xeno jumped, he easily propelled himself fourteen feet in the air and landed far behind Herman. Herman looked at him with high raised eyebrows but was smiling,

"Nice!" he commented before trying to tackle Xeno again. They then had a race around the track. Herman had his best friend Erik being the referee, but as soon as the race started Herman found that he didn't have a chance. Xeno was as fast as lightening, running on all fours. Herman just stopped and started laughing, Erik shook his head in disbelief.

"Pretty incredible, isn't he?" Herman asked Erik. Erik shrugged,

"I guess, man." He didn't sound sure and Herman gave him a look of concern,

"What's wrong?"

"Well, ya know, he's…" he waved a hand in an effort to emphasize what he was trying to say. Herman raised an eyebrow at him,

"What?" he barked, "He's what?" Erik gave him a sad look,

"One of _them_." Was all he said. Herman huffed,

"He's a child. He doesn't know about any of that. I don't think he even knows what he is." He looked back at Xeno who just passed the finish line and was grinning proudly, all fangs showing. Herman smiled back at him. "Besides, it doesn't matter. He's innocent."

"He's a freak of science, Matt!" Erik whispered loudly, "Don't get attached to him. Hell only knows what these monsters plan to use him for!" Herman didn't respond, because he didn't want to think about it. A realization suddenly struck him and his hand instinctively touched the scar under his shirt. This boy, he thought, he's…the Queen, his eyes grew wide and his jaw dropped open, the Queen that they took out of me!

"Oh my god." He said out loud. Erik looked at him suddenly,

"What?" he asked, and glanced at Herman's hand that was against his chest, "What is it?" he sounded frantic.

"You know the alien they took out of me like a year ago?" he said and Erik nodded, "It was a Queen. And that boy…" Herman said. Erik glanced at Xeno in shock then back at Herman,

"What?" he exclaimed in disbelief, "How is that even possible?" Herman was shaking his head,

"I don't know. Somehow Dr. Tobias morphed together the baby Queen and a baby human. I really don't know the details." Both men stared at Xeno now, Xeno was running around with one of the facilities pet dogs. Erik looked back at Herman,

"What about the human baby? Where did they get one from?" he asked. Herman shrugged,

"I have no idea."

"Oh wait!" Erik said, "I saw one of the scientists, a small woman with black hair, she was pregnant."

"Really?" Herman was still watching Xeno, "Where is she now?"

"I haven't seen her for a while." Erik confessed. Herman looked at him,

"What was her name?"

Erik shrugged sadly, "I don't know. I just remember seeing her walking around with a baby bump. I think she spent a lot of time with the aliens. Maybe you should go look for her in that part of the labs." He offered, and Herman nodded. Xeno suddenly tackled the dog to the ground and the dog yelped out loud, Herman and Erik both flinched at the noise, and Xeno looked confused. The dog then growled at Xeno and when Xeno tried to pet the animal it lashed out and bit his hand then ran away.

"Oh shit!" Matt said and ran over to Xeno. Xeno watched the dog run away then glanced at his bleeding hand, his face twisted into further confusion. Herman dropped to his knees and was about to take Xeno's hand in his own but froze solid when he saw the thick, yellow-green fluid oozing from Xeno and burning into the ground. Erik was then by his side and his reaction was much the same,

"Holy…" he said, "Dude!" he looked at Herman in alarm, "He has _their_ blood! ACID BLOOD!" he was gesturing at Xeno hysterically. Xeno looked at them with a slightly angry squint of his eyes,

"Who They?" he demanded in his child voice, "Why everyone call me They?" he raised his voice, "Alien! Is alien They? What is alien? WHAT AM I?" tears began to roll down those pale cheeks and the two men glanced at each other. Herman gave Xeno a sad, soft look and watched as those tears hit the grass and began sizzling. His mouth gaped slightly. His tears are acid too? , he wondered. He gently placed a hand on Xeno's little shoulder,

"I can't really give you the answers to those questions." He confessed, "You need to ask Dr. Tobias, he knows what you are." Xeno visibly calmed down,

"Ok." He said.

"Now let's see what we can do about that hand…" Herman said as he looked down at Xeno's hand again, but the wound was gone. He grabbed Xeno's hand in shock and inspected every inch of it, but there was no trace of the injury that had been there seconds ago.

"Holy shit." Erik commented as he looked at Xeno's hand as well.

"What the…?" Herman looked up at Xeno's innocent face, "I might just have come with you to ask Tobias those questions. Cause now _I'm_ wondering what the hell are you." He said. The three boys went to the cafeteria to end their training with a big meal. No one would allow Xeno to sit near them, so the three ended up on a table all by themselves far from anyone else. Xeno was watching the people as they gave him nasty looks. Herman saw Xeno's kicked puppy look and tried to comfort him,

"Hey buddy, don't let them get to you. They're just jerks. They don't understand." Herman smiled at him and Xeno cocked his head to one side,

"Buddy?" he questioned. Herman smiled wider,

"Yeah. Buddy…it means friend." He explained and Xeno smiled in return.

"We are friends now?" he asked in astonishment.

"Of course!" Herman chuckled. Xeno made a sort of excited squeak,

"I never had a friend!" he exclaimed and Herman just laughed,

"Yeah, well, you've only been alive for like four months." He mumbled as he took a bite of pizza, "You'll get more friends, I'm sure." The three finished their meals in silence, then Xeno was sent to his room to shower. Herman found his way to the farthest section of the facility, he went down a flight of stairs and came to a pair of doors that had bright red writing across them;

**HIVE STUDIES DEPARTMENT**

**HEAVY XENOMORPH ACTIVITY**

**USE EXTREME CAUTION**

Well, he thought, if it's so dangerous why would a pregnant woman be allowed down here? He stepped through the doors and was instantly halted by several guards; they patted him down removing his hand gun, combat knife, and even his belt.

"You'll get them back when you leave. This is the only exit." One of them said and ushered Matt to move on. Matt paused to turn to them,

"You guys wouldn't happen to know a pregnant scientist, who works down here, would you?" he asked them. They looked at each other for a split second then one answered,

"If you're referring to Doctor Zipporah she hasn't been down here in months." Herman nodded to him,

"Kay, thanks." He walked on down the hall. Perhaps someone else will know something, he hoped. Most marines never enter this part of the compound because it terrified them. There were rooms of plastic-alloy windows that looked right into the Hive so that scientists could study the creatures at face-value. When you spent most your days hiding from and killing these monsters you don't really want to look at them anymore, but these science nerds loved being around them. Herman became anxious as he walking the white halls, it was like he could _feel_ the beasts under the floor and the fact that there were no other people in the hallways made it even creepier. He shivered and the hair at the back of his neck stood straight up.

"_Stop!_" came a sudden voice and Herman froze in terror, the silence around him was deafening and he strained to hear anything at all. He thought he had just imagined the voice, till he heard it again after a few minutes,

"_Matthew_…" the voice was distinctly male, and definitely _IN_ Matt's head. He started turning around, looking for the source,

"Hello?" he whispered against his will, then cleared his throat and tried again, "Someone there?" he called out.

"_Yes._" The voice answered, and all colored drained form Matt's face, he started hyperventilating. "_Stop. The door to your left. Come inside, please." _The voice instructed and Herman turned his head to look at the door, he briefly considered running for his life,

"_Please don't run. I won't hurt you. I need your help."_ The voice was begging. Herman's jaw dropped, but he swallowed his fear and stepped through the door. Inside to the far right was a Hive viewing window, but no aliens were present, to the left was a separate viewing room that was much smaller and on the other side of the clear plastic was one Xenomorph. Herman looked around the room for someone but found only deserted computers.

"_No, there is no one else. I am the one speaking to you. My name is Archimedes, and you are Matthew Herman. I need your help Matt."_

Matt just stared wide-eyed at this lone alien, "You've got to be shitting me." He whispered to no one in particular. A sound echoed into his mind, laughter, but not his own laughter.

"_That is an odd phrase, but no, no one is "shitting you"."_ The alien laughed again. Herman started stuttering,

"Wha…? How…how the…?" he couldn't even get the words out.

"_Much like how Xeno is Tobias's personal project, I was an experiment carried out by Doctor Demi Zipporah. Through her technologies she granted me telepathy…and named me Archimedes."_ He explained softly.

"Zipporah?" Herman stepped a little closer to the window, "I'm looking for her. Do you know where she is?" he asked. The alien nodded once,

"_I know what you seek. And yes, Demi is the boy's human mother. Unfortunately Demi died giving birth to him."_ He told, and Matt heard sadness in his voice. Matt's shoulders slumped slightly,

"Oh. Damn." He looked down at the floor for a second, then back at the creature, "So you know about Xeno? What can you tell me?" Archimedes was nodding again,

"_He is the reason I called you in here. I have been waiting for someone to pass by, someone who knew about Xeno, and you have spent much time with him. You are even kind to him. This makes me happy."_ Herman could hear the smile in Archimedes' voice, "_What you know is correct; he is half-human and half-alien, as you call us, and his alien side is our Queen, our Mother."_ Herman nodded to show he was paying attention, "_In a way, you are his father. You helped bring our Mother into this world and for that I thank you."_ Herman blushed a little, suddenly feeling uncomfortable and not knowing why, he scratched the back of his neck,

"Uh…well…you're welcome…?" he said. Archimedes laughed again then continued his story,

"_Tobias is a horrid man, Matthew. You must know this. He plans to use Xeno for terrible things, plans to keep him as a pet."_ He growled the last word and Herman felt his anger, he recomposed himself before continuing, "_And as one of Her children, I cannot allow this. She must be set free, but I cannot do that while I am locked in this box. This is where you come in."_ Herman threw his hands up suddenly,

"WOAH. Time OUT, acid breath. If you think I'm gonna let you out so you can get your Mother back and slaughter us all, you are out your damn alien mind." He exclaimed and pointed a finger at Archimedes, "I kill your kind! That's what I was trained to do and I do it good! I don't HELP your kind so that you can go about killing us and breeding with our bodies!"

"_Would you kill Xeno?"_ Archimedes' voice was challenging and he cocked his head to one side. Herman dropped his hand,

"He's just a kid." He defended.

"_No. He is not. He is one of us. But also one of you."_ He waited for Herman to process this information. Herman looked as confused as he felt, he shook his head.

"I can't. I can't help you. He's a kid! As far as I can see, he's harmless. You and your Hive aren't. And I don't trust you!" He turned to leave.

"_If he is so harmless, then why does he terrify you?"_ Herman stopped in his tracks, hand on the door. "_How about what happened today? He could have killed you, so easily…just like he killed that man days ago._" Herman turned around to look at this creature angrily, "_Truth is, you know you're wrong. You know he is just as deadly, if not more so, than myself. SO why are you reluctant to help me? Oh…I know why. Fear. With you, dear Matt, fear is always what holds you back, isn't it?"_ Herman began hyperventilating again as he glared at this beast, "_Your fear kept you from saving your brother, am I right?"_

"**SHUT UP!**" Matt's face went red with rage, he suddenly leaped forward and punched the plastic wall right where Archimedes' face was. Archimedes didn't even flinch. "SHUT UP YOU MONSTER!" he was panting and blood from his fist began to run down the window as tears fell from Matt's chin.

"_Forgive me."_ Archimedes whispered, "_But I NEED you, Matt. Please…help us."_ He begged with all desperation, "_Do not be afraid. I will not let harm come to you, I promise."_ Herman laughed without humor,

"Promises from a beast. I'd have better luck with a dog." He barked, still furious.

"_No, dogs do not have the intellect that we do." _Was all Archimedes said.

"And what of everyone else here? What will happen to them?"

"_That all depends on Mother. We do what we are told to do, Matt, just like you."_

Herman sighed and was looking at his now broken hand, he gestured to the prison door with his good hand, "I don't know the codes. Marines aren't allowed that sort of information." He confessed. Archimedes seemed to beam with delight now that Matt was going to help him,

"_You are a very resourceful man, I'm sure you will think of something."_ He said. Herman thought for a minute then looked back at Archimedes,

"I don't get it. How does Tobias plan to use Xeno? Brainwash him?" he asked.

"_Something like that. He seems to believe that by putting our Mother in a human body he will be able to control her, and through her all of us." _Archimedes explained and Herman nodded in understanding.

"So what would he do with all of you?"

"_What would YOU do with an entire race of human killing machines under your control?"_

Herman's eyes went wide with realization, he gasped, "Go to Earth." He said and this time Archimedes was nodding,

"_Global domination seems to be a motif with you humans."_ He commented with a slight chuckle.

"Oh shit!" Herman exclaimed, "He could wipe out most of the population in just a day!" his hands flew up to catch the back of his head in shock, "No one would oppose him, it would take armies and armies to kill all of those monst…err…you, you guys." He said.

"_Indeed. So by helping me, you will be helping your own kind. Yes?" _ Herman was nodding with determination,

"I'll see what I can do. If I get you out of there, you think you can handle yourself on your own?"

"_Of course."_

"Ok. I don't know how long it will take me. But I'll try to find the codes, or someone who might know them."

"_Quickly, please. Tobias plans on killing me at some point."_ Herman gave him a look,

"Well, thanks for letting me know! If he fries your ass, then what do I do?"

"_I don't know…set the Hive free somehow. Or teach Xeno what he really is and convince him to not trust Tobias." _Archimedes sounded unsure.

"You wouldn't happen to know where Demi's office is? I bet the codes are in her stuff." Herman said,

"_I do. And now so do you."_ The alien said and Herman flinched as a sudden flood of new information came to his mind,

"Woah." He put a hand against his forehead, "Warn me before you do that again, please." He headed for the door once more, "Alright, wish me luck." He said.

"_Thank you, Matt."_ Herman felt a slight tug on his heart at that voice, it was desperate and hopeful, and sad. Herman shook his head and cleared his throat,

"Yeah…well…don't thank me yet." He said and left. He easily took a right turn and headed toward Demi's office. He found himself wondering just how long had Archimedes been locked up in there, separated from his family and all alone. Herman knew how he must feel. He heard voices around the corner and instinctively threw himself flat against the nearest wall, he listened as the voices drifting away then he inched closer to the corner and peered around it. Two men in lab coats were walking away and into a room. Herman relaxed and stepped around the corner. A few more turns through the labyrinth white walls and then he was there, he tried to open the door and found it locked. He sighed loudly in aggravation, but he'd gotten this far and wasn't just going to stop now. He took two steps back from the door then glanced left and right to make sure he was alone. He took a deep breath then lifted his right foot and kicked the door, footing hitting adjacent to the lock, and the door flew open with a loud bang. He looked around again, when he was sure that no one had heard the noise and was coming to see what it had been he quickly stepped inside and closed the door. He started with the computer, but it was password protected. So he began flicking through the file cabinets for anything that might catch his eye as important. Nothing seemed all that important so he gave up. He sighed in defeat, then his eyes caught a datapad sitting on the desk. He picked it up and started pressing buttons on the screen, he found a memo application and one entry read;

ARCHIMEDES: 4375

"HAH!" Herman exclaimed with a fist pump, "There is a God." He laughed. He practically ran back to Archimedes' room.

"I actually got it!" he said cheerfully as he entered the room and Archimedes jumped up from his spot in the corner to come up to the window. Herman stepped over to the wall panel and typed the four numbers in then hit [ENTER]. The panel blinked red and made an angry beep. Herman scoffed at the machine,

"I knew it was to good to be true…" he mumbled.

"_Try again. Slower this time."_ Archimedes instructed and Herman complied. The panel flashed green this time and made a cheerful chirp, then a rush of air sounded as the door decompressed and slid up into the ceiling.

"Nice!" Herman grinned, but then jumped out of his skin when Archimedes appeared just inches from his face, he instinctively back peddled away. Archimedes simply stepped out from his threshold and surveyed the room for a second before leaping unto the ceiling.

"_And now, I thank you." _He said as he pulled the metal cover off an air vent.

"Yeah." Herman mumbled, "No problem. I just hope I didn't just make a huge mistake." Archimedes looked at him,

"_You didn't. And I have a feeling I'll be seeing you again soon enough. For now, good bye and good luck." _With that he was gone, crawling into the air conduit and vanishing in silence.

"Sure. You too." Herman said to the air. Herman retrieved his possessions from the guards as he was leaving the vicinity,

"Did you find her?" one guard asked. Herman shook his head,

"No. Apparently she died." He said absently as he walked through the doors and away from those eerie halls.


	6. In The Zone

I apologize for this update taking so long. I've been really busy and I've been working a lot on my Avengers fic. If anybody's curious about the music I listen to to inspire me while writing this story, check out the band Planet P Project, specifically the album Pink World. It's an incredible group, I've loved them most of my life and I name my chapters after their songs. So I have to give them that credit. :D

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><p>Xeno and Herman continued to train every day for a week before Tobias told Xeno he could have a break. He was given a day all to himself, and he intended to use it for exploration. Currently he wandered the grounds behind the facility. He watched stars twinkle light-years away and the fragments of the shattered planet drifting in slow motion. He sniffed the artificial air, but there was nothing except the scent of humans and asteroid dirt. He pressed his hands flat against the environmental dome and watched dust blow around on the other side. Herman had told him how space on the other side was empty and would kill him, but something was compelling him to go there, like a voice. He looked up, down, and along the clear wall, searching for an exit but there was nothing except smooth plastic. He sighed and began to turn away from the wall when he saw something. He froze in place and focused all his sight upon the image beyond the barrier. It was a figure, standing upon a rocky hill, looking right back at him. It was humanoid, mostly, with arms and legs, a torso and head, but it wore strange clothes…armor? And its face was flat, no features but pitch black eyes and a breathing apparatus of some sort. Xeno had seen similar breathing devices on the environment suits that the humans wore if they had to go on the other side of the protective dome. There was also strange hair framing the figures head, thin, tendril-like hair decorated with various pieces of gold. Xeno cocked his head at this strange figure and wondered what they were doing out there. The figure slowly cocked its head in mimic of Xeno's behavior. Xeno's eyes widen, it was definitely watching him, to further test his theory he waved at it. Sure enough, the creature raised its hand and waved in return. Xeno smiled, but who is that? Or, what is that? It didn't matter to him, they seemed friendly enough, or perhaps just curious. He put his hands out and gestured for the person to come closer, to come to him. The figure shook its head once, telling him "no" and then brought a finger up to where its lips would be, signaling for Xeno to stay silent. Xeno frowned in confusion then a strange light began to shimmer around the person and they vanished.<p>

"OH!" Xeno exclaimed in surprise and astonishment, he looked all around, frantically searching for the stranger, but there was nothing. Nothing but dirt and rocks. He sighed and his shoulders slumped, he turned from the empty asteroid desert to head back toward the compound. He wondered if Tobias or Herman knew the Stranger, or if he should keep it to himself. He decided on keeping the secret, since he had so few secrets to himself. It seemed that the entire facility knew everything about him, and most of that knowledge was kept from Xeno himself. He wondered what made him so special that even he couldn't be told everything. He glanced down at his black hands. He knew they were different than everyone else's, but why? Why were they different? Why was **he** different? A familiar whisper itched in the back of his mind, that voice, like the buzz of a million bees calling to him, pulling on his consciousness. Familiar and warm to one part of him, but strange and confusing to the other. He tried to focus on this buzzing, the last time he'd felt it it had slipped away from him, but he wouldn't let that happen again. He closed his eyes and concentrated. Instinctively, he got unto his hands and knees and pressed his ear to the ground, sure enough the buzzing seemed to get louder. He tried to reach out with his mind, like how he did with the humans, to "read" the buzzing voices but there seemed to be a wall blocking him. He winced as a lance of pain ripped through his skull. He slowly sat up and cradled his head in his hands. There was definitely something, a barrier, blocking him from those voices and he wasn't strong enough to break through. The barrier had almost felt like another person... He picked himself up off the ground and dusted off his clothes. He began surveying the area, searching with his mind and eyes. There! He caught something, upon the roof of the cafeteria. It was black and sleek and darted from view as soon as Xeno had seen it. He ran to the wall and in a determined effort jumped up unto the roof where the shadowy image had been spotted, but there was nothing. He huffed angrily. This place was suddenly crawling with Strangers, and he couldn't catch a single one! He started sniffing the area and found a lingering scent, it was sweet and thick, much like the syrup Xeno poured over his pancakes. He tried to follow the smell, along the roof, and it brought him to an air vent that led inside the cafeteria. He stared at the grated metal in confusion.

"XENO!" the familiar voice of Tobias shouted. Xeno turned to see Tobias standing on the ground with his hands on his hips, "What are you doing up there?" he continued to shout and beckoned for Xeno to come closer, "Get down! NOW!" Tobias's shouting had drawn the attention of a group of marines and they were all now staring at Xeno. Xeno sighed and looked at the vent one last time before easily jumping off the facility roof and landing silently upon the dirt. He grinned at Tobias,

"Adventure!" he exclaimed in childish excitement. Tobias huffed,

"You don't have time for silly adventures, boy! You have training to do. Let's go." He grabbed Xeno's shoulder arm and began pulling him along. A low growl escaped Xeno's throat, but Tobias didn't seem to hear it. Xeno glanced back at the cafeteria roof and thought he saw a figure watching him from inside the air vent. He decided to keep this a secret as well, and became determined to find both of The Strangers he'd spotted today.

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><p>Archimedes breathed a sigh of relief when Tobias dragged Xeno from view. That had been too close, he told himself, Xeno's more powerful than I thought. Xeno could already hear the Hive, as well as use his telepathy to invade human minds, but Archimedes was certain he'd put up a strong enough barrier in Xeno's mind. It was too soon for Xeno to learn all these things. Archimedes would teach him, with the help of Herman, but in slow graduation as to not overwhelm the child. Not only had Xeno picked up on Archimedes' mental signature, but his scent as well, and now Xeno could use both of those to pick up on Archimedes' presence at any given time. This meant Archimedes would now have to be even more careful and stealthy around the boy. Archimedes left the vent shaft and leapt off the roof unto the dirt. He had already mastered his ability to deceive the human minds, using his telepathy to alter their perceptions, therefore making himself invisible to them. Along with this he was smaller than the average Xenomorph, making it easier for him to sneak in and out of buildings. He knew what needed to be done, but until Xeno was prepared, there wasn't much to do. So he watched and learned everything he could about the humans and their technology. He learned how to open the environmental barrier and how to dock ships, as well as send communications to other plants and ships. All things that would be useful…all in good time.<p>

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><p>"This is just incredible, Doctor!" The woman exclaimed in all honest excitement, "Even though he's mostly human, his body has adopted the Xenomorphs' accelerated growth. At this rate he'll be a fully grown adult in…" she paused to solve the figures in her head, "Approximately 5 years!" she finished. Tobias frowned,<p>

"That…" he spoke in a dark tone, "…is the problem." The woman looked up at him in confusion. Tobias turned to look at Xeno, who was across the room being examined by several doctors. "After he was born…" he seemed to be lost in thought for a minute, "...he aged two years in only six hours, then a year later he was that of a seven year old boy, and now again…" He turned back to the woman, "He's only three years old, but look at him," he waved his hand toward Xeno and the woman glanced at the boy for a second, "He has the appearance and physical abilities of a twelve year old. Do you understand what I am saying? If this continues…he'll be dead before me!" He finished angrily and the woman flinched away from him. The woman's eyes lit up in understanding, but she started waving her hand excitedly,

"Wait! I have good news!" she turned back to the computer, "Look!" she waited for Tobias to lean over and look at the screen, "The accelerated pattern," she pointed at some images and figures on the display then looked back at Tobias, "It's slowing. He's not growing as fast as he was just a year ago. Just like with the Aliens, once they reach a certain size they stop growing completely." She stood up and faced Tobias, "I don't think you're going to outlive him. He's not going to continue to age, Doctor." She turned to look at the boy again, "I think…he's going to be immortal…" her voice held a tone of astonishment, "I don't think that even you, Tobias, completely understand what you've created." Tobias chuckled in response,

"Oh yes I do…" he watched Xeno with a sense of wonder, "I've created a Queen, a Goddess that will rule forever…" The woman looked up at him,

"But…rule what, sir?" she asked. Tobias's face split into a twisted grin,

"My empire." He answered, then stepped away from the woman and over to where Xeno stood. Xeno was redressing, all of his examinations complete. He glanced up at Tobias as he approached. Tobias was still grinning,

"You have grown wonderfully, and are in perfect health." He told Xeno. Xeno nodded as he pulled his shirt down over his head. "But I'd like to run a full physical examination. Just to see how much you've changed." Xeno said nothing, but watched Tobias carefully. "This will include all tests of endurance, stamina, and strength. You've done it once before." Tobias continued.

"Yes. I know." Xeno commented, his voice void of any enthusiasm or emotion.

"Oh good. Then there shouldn't be a problem getting started. Let's go out to the training course." Tobias ordered and started walking toward the door. Xeno's upper lip twitched into a snarl, but only for a second, before he complied and followed Tobias outside. Once outdoors, Tobias told any of the marines that were there to clear out, reserving the entire course for Xeno. He pulled a stop watch from his lab coat pocket and waved at the running course,

"Let's start around the track, shall we? I'll be timing you, so run as fast and as long as possible." He wasn't looking at Xeno as he said this, instead he was setting the watch in his hand. When Xeno stepped onto the track he began the timer while shouting, "Start!" Xeno hesitated for only a split second, otherwise unnoticed by anyone other than himself. He didn't run as fast as he knew he could, rebelliously he went only as fast as he felt like. Upon passing Tobias for the first time around Tobias began shouting at him,

"Let's go! I know you're faster than that! Move your hide, boy!" Xeno bared his fangs and openly growled at Tobias, but continued around the track. As he ended his third lap he watched Tobias stepping closer to him, the doctor was carrying something in his hand, it was long and thin, like a tail. Tobias suddenly flicked his wrist, a loud snap perforated the air and a lance of pain went through Xeno's leg.

"I said RUN!" Tobias shouted and cracked the whip a second time. The leather tip struck Xeno across the face and he froze, a second passed and he felt his warm, thick, green blood running down his face. He stared at Tobias with wide, surprised eyes and Tobias glared dominantly back at him from the sideline of the track. Xeno's face contorted into feral rage, his entire body going rigid, and the spikes that protruded from his back began to shake, like the rattle on the tail of a rattlesnake. Tobias wasn't swayed, he narrowed his eyes, as if daring Xeno to move. Xeno roared and lashed his tail against the ground,

"I have grown tired of you!" he snapped and leaped at Tobias. All the other scientists and marines that had been watching gasped out loud, some ran toward Tobias as if to save him, others ran away in terror, and the rest simply covered the eyes. Tobias didn't even blink. He dropped the whip and raised his hand, arm extended, just in time to grip Xeno by the throat, his other hand caught Xeno's tail barely an inch from his face. The group of spectators froze, not sure who to defend now, they glanced amongst each other, all deciding that none of them had ever seen Tobias fight. The doctors' strength astounded them all as Xeno thrashed about and Tobias easily held him.

"You've grown rebellious in your adolescent age." Tobias shook his head and made a "tsk tsk" sound at Xeno, "That's a shame. I'll have to teach you a new lesson." He chimed. He shoved Xeno away long enough to reach into his pocket and pull out a small gun. A soft sound was heard, like the pop of air rushing out of a compressed tube, then Xeno suddenly collapsed at Tobias's feet with a moan. Tobias knelt down to look Xeno in the face. Xeno's brilliant blue eyes flickered over Tobias's face and a strangled snarl escaped his throat, but he couldn't move. Tobias sighed,

"You will learn that you are not the only thing to fear on this retched rock." He spat in a harsh whisper then rose to his feet, "Tie him up!" he barked at the bystanders, "And take him to the pens!" He turned around to look at Xeno again, "You want to behave like a beast? Then I shall treat you as such!" he shouted then spun on his heel and stalked off back to the labs. It took the combined effort of eight men to pick Xeno up and carry him. Despite his small size, Xeno's bones were very dense, nearly unbreakable, thus making him a heavy weight. He watched as he was brought into an area he'd never seen before. It was like a giant storage room, but there were hundreds of cages, all various sizes, lining the walls and floor. Some of these cages had occupants, creatures that Xeno knew for sure he'd never seen. Tobias stood by a cage that looked big enough to house an elephant, he held the door open and the men laid Xeno down inside it. Tobias slammed the cage door and sealed it with four different locks. Xeno still couldn't move but he watched the other animals in the room, all of them were hissing and cowering away from him, as if they knew he was a predator, a threat. Tobias placed a large bowl of water upon the floor just outside the cage then grinned wickedly at Xeno before leaving. Xeno grunted as he tried to force his body to operate, but not even his toes were responding. He snorted, whatever Tobias had tranquilized him with must have been designed for him alone. He saw a couple of dogs, he knew what dogs were, and they were barking at him. He snarled from the back of his throat, and instantly silence descended in the room. That proved it, all these other creatures were terrified of him, and with that he could control them. Something began to tickle his fingers and he tried to force himself to see what it was. Barely out of the corner of his eye he could see a little brown creature, it seemed to be sniffing at his fingers, and then it scurried across the floor over to his face. He saw that it was very small and had multiple legs and little twitching limbs coming from its head. It lingered around his face for a moment before speeding off into the darkness beyond the cage bars. The room stayed silent, for how long Xeno wasn't sure, but finally he was able to pull himself unto his knees. Slowly, excruciatingly slowly, all his limbs regained their strength and he was able stand and get a better look at his new home. He felt his fury crawling, seething, beneath his skin. He stepped up to the cage bars and gripped one in each hand, he pull with all the force he could muster, but the bars didn't bend. He bared his teeth, running his tongue along them for a second, then bit down on the metal. He knew that his saliva was as potent as his blood, so he licked and crewed at the metal. But it was all in vain. The bars were unaltered. He snapped in a rage and began thrashing against the bars. He screamed and roared. He crawled up the bars and the ceiling of the cage, bouncing erratically around. Like a bee trapped in a jar he slammed into the walls, over and over and over, till he felt blood running down his face. He continued to scream, hoping that his voice was heard outside the room walls, hoping that his rage struck fear into those that had put him here. He finally fell to his knees, panting with exhaustion, still shaking with fury, and now pain. He ripped his shirt off, too hot, and saw that he'd bruised himself purple all over. He didn't care, the injuries would be healed in a few minutes anyways. His throat was sore. He glanced up and saw the bowl of water Tobias had left. He crawled over to the cage bars and stuck his tail through, he gently wrapped his tail around the bowl and pulled it near. Then he realized what Tobias had been grinning about, right before he'd left. The bowl was far too large to fit through the bars, and the bars were too close together for Xeno to be able to put his head through. He slammed his forehead futilely against the bars. Tobias had done this on purpose, to torture him, with water just out of his reach, only there to taunt him. Xeno felt tears of frustration and exhaustion stinging his eyes. He slumped unto the cold floor, eyes fixed on the door in case someone decided to visit him, but he couldn't keep them open. He yawned and finally let his eyes close.

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><p>P.S. I have been working on a drawing of Xeno, drawn by me, and if I ever finish it (lol) I will post a link to it on here so that all my fab readers can see what I imagine him to look like.<p>

DANKE!


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